Is that woman at the wine bar just being pretentious when she says she detects notes of violet in her pinot noir, or hints of apple blossom in her riesling? Well, maybe, we can’t tell for sure, but either way, she probably is experiencing some lovely floral aromas in her wine.
So what flowers should you be looking for in your next glass? Let’s take a look at 11 of the most common floral aromas in wine, which also happen to be some of our favorites.
Note: Aromas in wine aren’t the same as bouquet. Seems like the same thing, but if we’re talking to the woman at the wine bar, she’d tell us that floral aromas are something in wine called primary aromas, which means they come from the grapes themselves and the bouquet comes from secondary aromas that are created during the art of winemaking. But more on that in another article.
AROMAS YOU MIGHT NOTICE IN YOUR NEXT GLASS
- Apple Blossom. Sweet, fresh, fragrant and found in riesling, Champagne and our Profile Three.
- Citrus Blossom. Sweet, honeyed, rich and complex, found in riesling, chenin blanc, viognier, chardonnay and our Profiles Two and Three.
- Geranium. A little herbaceous than the sweeter blossoms and roses, but with a more floral aroma than lavender.
- Iris. Iris are mild and smell slightly of woods, with hints of violet and spices. You can find iris aromas in sauvignon blanc, albariño and our Profiles One and Three.
- Lily of the Valley. Such a subtle, sweet, delicate smell. You’ll find it in gewürztraminer and pinot gris and our Profiles One and Three.
- Orange blossom. Honey, spices, sweet. If you enjoy the intoxicating smell of fresh orange blossoms, you probably like muscadet, pinot grigio, semillon and our Profiles One and Three.
Noticing a trend here? Those lighter flowers that tend to have white blossoms with clean, fruity, sweet scents are going to be found in the white wines.
So let’s talk about reds.
- Lavender. Such a woodsy, almost piney, and slightly sweet fragrance. You may notice this aroma in chenin blanc, grenache, muscat, montepulciano, sangiovese, tempranillo, syrah and pinot noirs as well as our Profiles Four, Five and Nine.
- Lilac. Lilac often reads as peppery in wines including pinot noir, merlot and malbec and our Profiles Four, Four | Five, Five, Six and Nine.
- Peony. We especially love peonies, with their delicate, mildly sweet, peppery scent. Found in pinot noir, rosé and our profiles Four and Nine.
- Roses. The gorgeous, sometimes sweet, sometimes clean aromas of roses can be experienced in white wines like gewürztraminer, pinot gris, riesling and our Profiles One and Three; as well as reds like syrah, mourvèdre, malbec, petit verdot, pinot noir, tempranillo, sangiovese and our Profiles Four, Four | Five, Five and Six.
- Violet. Violet’s mildly sweet, soft, powdery scent can be experienced in cabernet sauvignon, malbec, merlot and our Profiles Five, Four | Five and Six.
So what if you don’t smell any flowers in your wine? That’s okay. It’s not a requirement to enjoy your glass and that’s really the point. Fine wine should be fun, easy and hassle free. But this one fun way to hone your senses and bring a little mindful attention to your sipping. And then you can be the gal at your next get together talking about lily of the valley in your Profile One.
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