When the wine smells of flowers

Have you ever detected the delicate scent of violets in a glass of red wine, the fragrant rose notes in a Gewürztraminer, or the hibiscus whispers from a Lambrusco? Perhaps you’ve even encountered the sweet orange blossom aroma in a Muscat. Those fragrances are a fascinating aspect of wine. Let’s explore the science behind these enchanting scents and learn how to interpret them.

At the heart of floral aromas lies the grape variety itself. Each grape harbors unique pre-aromatic molecules, aptly named precursors. These precursors, however, remain hidden within the fruit, these molecules are bound to another molecule, a sugar. This union prevents precursors from being detected in the berries as they are unable to be volatile, being able to fly (volatile is the Latin for fly) to our noses.

Only fermentation can break the link between the aromatic part and the sugar part of a precursor. Enzymes during the fermentation, break the link between the two parts of a precursor, so the aromatic part can evaporate.

Aromatic compounds and their precursors can be classified into families:

Thiols, These sulfur-containing compounds contribute to pungent aromas like grapefruit and passion fruit. While not directly floral, they play a crucial role in overall wine complexity.

Terpenes are the main family of floral aromas! Terpenes, found in grape skins and essential oils, give rise to delicate floral scents. Think of white flowers, blossoms, and petals.

Pyrazines, Responsible for herbaceous and green notes, pyrazines add freshness to wines. They’re more prevalent in certain grape varieties.

Norisoprenoïdes, These compounds develop during aging and contribute to the evolution of floral aromas.

Floral aromas can be linked to different wine styles, ages, and grape varieties.

Young white wines tend to have white flowers, jasmine, acacia, and lily. aged white wines tend to smell more Yellow Flowers, think daffodils, chamomile, and honeysuckle

red wines tend to have more red and colored flowers, violets, roses, and geranium.

To understand better, we can build a relationship between flowers and grape varieties, but Just because a grape variety can express them doesn’t guarantee their constant presence in the wine.

Flower		Grape varieties
Rose		Airén, Gewurztraminer, Nebbiolo
Chamomile		Chenin Blanc, Roussonne, Semillon
Violet		Cinsault, Dolcetto, Gamay, Petit Verdot, Touriga Nacional, Bandol Rosé, Carbernet Sauvignon
Orange Blossom		Silvaner, Chenin Blanc, Lambrusco
Honeysuckle		Grenache Blanc, Muscat Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
Acacia		Marsanne
Lilac		Petit Verdot
Citrus Blossom		Picpoul
Jasmin		Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand), Sparkling Chenin Blanc
Geranium		Torrontes
Daffodil		Vermentino
Elderflower		Sauvignon Blanc
Lavender		Grenache noir
Hibiscus		Nebbiolo Pinot Noir (Europe)
Iris		Malbec (France Southwest)

These are the principal flowers you can find in wines, there are many other examples. Some aromas are better expressed in a particular region.

The good news is that to train yourself to recognize these aromas, you just need to walk into the nearest florist.