🍷 Primary aromas
Aromas from the grape itself: fruit, flowers, herbs.
Primary aromas are the smells of wine that come from the grape itself. They are fruit, flowers, herbs and sometimes spices. They depend on the variety, how ripe the berries are and where the vine grows.
A variety may smell of apple, citrus, rose or blackcurrant. These smells are already in the berry, while fermentation and ageing add other shades. Those formed in fermentation are called secondary, and those that come with the years in bottle or barrel are tertiary, or the bouquet.
Primary aromas are part of the overall wine aroma. They are directly tied to the grape variety, which is why smell can hint at the variety, especially for aromatic ones like Gewürztraminer or the muscats. The fresher and younger the wine, the stronger primary aromas usually are. The habit of smelling wine and naming the smells one by one helps to tell them apart.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Primary aromas → kind of → 🍷 Wine aroma → kind of → 🍷 Wine taste and composition → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Next step
- 🌿 Grape variety
- Part of
- 🍷 Wine aroma
Frequently asked questions
What are primary aromas in wine?
Smells that come from the grape itself: fruit, flowers and herbs.
What do primary aromas depend on?
On the variety, ripeness of the grapes and the place they grow.
How do primary aromas differ from secondary ones?
Primary ones come from the berry, secondary ones form during fermentation.
Similar
🍷 Secondary aromas · 🍷 Bouquet (wine) · 🍷 Wine aroma wheel · 🍷 Minerality · 🍷 Ampelography