The Aroma Wheel
Post date: 2008-05-06
The Aroma Wheel provides a visual graphic of the different categories and aroma components that one can encounter in wine. The terminology used is standardized for use by both professionals and amateur wine tasters. The aroma wheel does not contain terms to describe texture or mouthfeel, however these are listed in the Australian "Mouthfeel Wheel". A separate Aroma Wheel has also been created for sparkling wine. The wheel breaks down wine aromas into 12 basic categories and then further sub-divided into different aromas that can fall into those main categories.
Chemical – Includes aromas like sulfur and petroleum
Pungent – Aromas like alcohol
Oxidized – Aromas like acetaldehyde
Microbiological – Aromas like yeast and lactic acid
Floral – Aromas like geranium and linalool
Spicy – Aromas like licorice and anise
Fruity – Aromas like blackcurrant and apricot
Vegetative – Aromas like eucalyptus and artichoke
Nutty – Aromas like walnut and hazelnut
Caramelized – Aromas like butterscotch and molasses
Woody – Aromas often imparted by oak like vanilla and coffee
Earthy – Aromas such as mushroom and mildew
The German Wine Institute has created a special German language version of the Aroma Wheel meant to be specially adapted to German wines, with one wheel for white wines and one wheel for red wines. However, in the translation they removed the petroleum smell (and the entire "chemical" category) from the white wine wheel, despite the fact that mature Riesling wines - Germany's signature grape variety - are the best-known examples of wines that show this aroma. It seems that the motive for omitting the reference to petroleum was that many consumers perceive it as a "negative" aroma. The Institute's move has been criticized by foreign experts on German wines.
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