🍷 Secondary aromas
Aromas from fermentation: bread, yeast, cream, butter.
Secondary aromas are wine smells that come not from the grape but from fermentation and the handling of the wine. Bread, yeast, cream and fresh butter notes in wine have exactly this origin. They are created by yeasts and bacteria.
All wine aromas are divided into three groups. Primary ones come from the grape itself: fruit, flowers, herbs. Secondary ones arise during fermentation. Tertiary ones come later, during ageing in barrel and bottle: nuts, leather, dried fruit.
One example of a secondary smell is diacetyl. It gives a note of butter and forms during malolactic fermentation, when the sharp malic acid in wine turns into softer lactic acid. Such a note is typical of some white wines such as Chardonnay.
Knowing these groups helps describe taste in simple words. If a wine seems to smell of fresh bread or cream, you are sensing secondary aromas.
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Frequently asked questions
What are secondary aromas in wine?
Smells that appear during fermentation: bread, yeast, cream, butter.
How are secondary aromas different from primary ones?
Primary aromas come from the grape, secondary ones are made by yeasts and bacteria during fermentation.
Where does a buttery smell in wine come from?
Often from diacetyl, which forms during malolactic fermentation.
Similar
🍷 Primary aromas · 🍷 Bouquet (wine) · 🍷 Wine aroma wheel · 🍷 Minerality