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Wine Dimensions November 2006

Dear Friends of Monolithos,

In this month's newsletter, we examine the vocabulary used during the second stage of wine tasting - or during the act of smelling.

The pleasant smell given off by wine is called its aroma, bouquet, nose or fragrance. The smell of a wine can remind us of many things, such as fruits, flowers, herbs, spices, spring meadows, even leather. The point is that each of us has a personal memory bank of aromas, and the richer the bank, the more memories we can pull from it to describe a wine. The terms aroma and bouquet, although synonymous, convey slightly different meanings.

"Aroma" is used to describe the smell of young wines. More specifically, it refers to the characteristic smell of a grape variety. Aroma is present in the grapes and in the wine from the minute it is ready.

"Bouquet" is a term used to describe various smells acquired from the processing and ageing of wine. Bouquet is a pleasant characteristic that develops in the bottle, many months or years after bottling.

The term "nose" is used by wine tasters when referring to the bouquet or aroma of a wine. It can be floral, citrus, woodsy, buttery, oak, vanilla or any number of familiar scents, depending on the grapes used the winemaking process and the storage conditions. The "nose" of a wine can range from pronounced to moderate to unsubstantial. If a wine is referred to as "lacking nose", it means that a detectable smell is not evident.

A wine's aroma can help us understand its age, the varieties of grapes used, and which country and even region it comes from. However, a lot of experience is needed to reach this level. In general, wine-grapes have a tendency to pick up the flavours of the soil and whatever is in the surrounding environment as they grow in the vineyard (terroir). As with the colour of a wine, its perfume will vary according to its age and composition. Young whites are often described with reference to fresh flowers, fruit or newly cut grass. Aged white wines become more honeyed with time. Usually, we match yellowish fruits and flowers with white wines and red fruits and flowers with red wines.

There are two stages in the process of evaluating the smell of a wine.

Firstly, fill the wine glass no more than 1/3 full. Next, while the wine is still (before any agitation), lower the nose to the edge of the glass and breathe in. This allows you to grasp the initial aroma of the wine. The most immediate sensations are the pleasantness or otherwise of the aromas, their intensity and their similarity to other known aromas.

Secondly, while firmly holding the stem of the wine glass, gently swirl the wine in the bowl for 10-20 seconds. The glass should be held parallel to the ground. Use only your wrist to make subtle, circular motions. This agitates the wine and stimulates evaporation from the sides of the glass, releasing the volatile molecules, many of which are aromatic. If you find yourself spilling the wine as you swirl, place your glass on a table and swirl the wine using the table as a base. Give it a few good circular motions, allowing oxygen to penetrate the wine. When you sniff the wine again after swirling, the sensations will almost always increase in intensity and complexity. At the top of the glass, the aromas are more floral and fruity; deeper in the glass, they are richer.

Grape variety has a profound influence on a wine's perfume. Often a wine's aroma is described as "vinous", or "typical", or as "reflecting the varietals" if the variety of grape can be recognised. Blackcurrant aroma is associated with Cabernet Sauvignon, often referred to as cassis. Chardonnay, on the other hand, is often described as nutty, toasty, and sometimes pear-like or even pineapple, depending on where it is grown.

Classical tasting terminology categorizes the aromas into primary, secondary and tertiary.

Primary aromas are those already present in the grapes and are clearly recognisable like the aromatic grape varieties e.g. Muscat and Malvasia. Primary aromas appear in young wines and are often directly related to the grape varietals. The aromas are often fruit-related (i.e. black or red raspberries) and may simply be described as "fruity".

Secondary aromas develop during fermentation. Yeast produces esters (a family of chemical compounds) which are mainly responsible for the aromatic sensations that normally remind us of fruit (apple, banana, pineapple, wild berries, etc.) and flowers (acacia, jasmine, etc.). Secondary aromas most often appear in wines that may have been aged in concrete, stainless steel, or wooden casks. The type of barrel, size of barrel, where the barrel originated, and the condition of the barrel all have an effect on the flavour and clarity of the wine being aged. For instance, wines that have been aged in wooden casks typically take on overtones of wood-smoke, cedar, and/or vanilla.

Tertiary aromas develop (only in more complex wines) during bottle ageing, and form the so-called bouquet of matured wines. Among these we might distinguish leather, tobacco, tar and dried fruit and flowers.

Classical tasting aiming to assess, not to describe, a wine, examines four aspects of the aromas: intensity, fineness, cleanness and length.

Intensity describes strength, fineness can be interpreted as elegance or pleasantness, and cleanness is the absence of faults. A wine is classified as aromatic if its smell is strong, intense, developed or it has a "good nose". If, on the other hand, it has a poor smell, it is feeble, neutral, odourless or weak. A closed wine is a term used to describe a wine that has great potential but still needs time in the bottle to reach its potential. Other words used to describe a closed wine are: dumb, distant, secretive, and discreet.

The clarity of a wine's aroma indicates its openness, purity and state of health. In contrast, a defective wine could be the unhealthy, spoiled, sickly, decomposed and dirty. Length refers to how long the aromatic sensations last after swallowing the wine, and is measured in seconds.

Just as our eyes can "see" a wide spectrum of colours, so our nose can sense a wide range of smells. It is common practice to classify aromas in a number of specific categories; however, there is no universal agreement in their classification. The following are the most widely used lists:

Floral: More commonly characteristic of whites, a flavour and aroma reminiscent of flowers, such as: roses, violet, acacia, jasmine, lime-tree, honeysuckle, narcissus , lime, carnation.

Vegetal: Smelling or tasting of vegetables. This could manifest itself in a number of ways, most of them unattractive. However one can make the distinction between the good and bad odours. Some of the more common vegetable likenesses that crop up are bell peppers, asparagus, and broccoli , pine, resin, bruised leaf, tea, mint truffle, hay, green or black olive, cabbage, radish, green coffee beans, drying vegetation.

Fruity: A young wine that is full of fresh fruit flavour is said to be fruity. Typical fruity aromas are: orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, pear, peach, apricot, melon, apple, quince, gooseberry, red cherry, strawberry, blackberry, mulberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, cassis, pineapple, mango, passion-fruit, banana, guava, plum, raspberry and citrus fruits.

Mineral: Earthy (applied to red wines in which either the fruit has receded due to age, or the wines are made from a grape variety or region that tend to smell of damp earth), chalky, volcanic, stale, stony, petrol, wax, chlorine, sulphurous and/or medicinal.

Animal: Game, gurney, damp fur, wet wool, leather and/or musk.

Spicy: Spicy refers to pungent attractive aromas and flavours such as black/white pepper, clove, cedar, liquorice, aniseed, cinnamon, vanilla, thyme, garlic, onion, lavender, mushroom, truffle and/or nutmeg.

Dried fruits and nuts: nutty, hazelnut, walnut, bitter almond, dried figs, prunes, raisins, fruit cake, jam. All of these are particularly delicate aromas, found in wines that are already developed and mature.

Burnt: Wood tar, coffee, toasted bread, butter, caramel, chocolate, honey, "roasted", smoky, tobacco etc. These can be good but sometimes are negative for a wine.

Other classifications often appearing in the wine world of words are aromas of food, animals and woodiness, earthy, chemical, and microbiological.

A useful graphical instrument called "Aromatic Wheel" has been devised by the University of California at Davis which groups all specific aroma words in a practical manner and provides an excellent tool for communicating aroma perceptions during wine tasting.

Unpleasant nose or off-odours are a good indication of wine faults. The most important are the following:

Vinegary nose: Indicating that a process of acidification has begun.
Volatile Acidity: A vinegary taste brought about by the presence of acetic acid and ethyl acetate. Acceptable in small amounts but very undesirable in large quantities. Acetic wine smells similar to vinegar and the wine is unfit to drink.
Sulphur: this odour is due to sulphides and molecules that derive from them. It might remind us of bad eggs, garlic, cabbage, and wine sediment. It frequently occurs in hand-made wines, and especially in naturally sparkling wines which undergo fermentation in bottles.
Oxidisation: an odour of over-ageing.
Corked Wine: a fault recognised by a distinctive mouldy, rotting smell.

Monolithos Monthly News

Health warnings on bottles of wine, urging pregnant women not to drink alcohol, have been made compulsory by the French government. The law, passed in the official French government bulletin dated 2 October 2006, requires all bottles of wine imported and sold in France to display the warning. Producers can either print the warning in writing or feature a government-approved picture depicting the silhouette of a pregnant woman drinking from a glass contained in a barred red circle. "The consumption of alcoholic drinks during pregnancy, even in small amounts, can have severe consequences to health of your child," says the written warning. The law applies to all bottles of alcohol, from beer to wines and spirits. The warning, says the government, must be displayed "in the same visual field as the publication of the alcohol level". However, the law will not come into force until next year. Bottles produced or put on sale before 3 October 2007 are not obliged to display the warning and can go on being on sale until stocks are exhausted.

The UK is one of the fastest growing wine markets in the world, according to figures released this year by the International Organisation of Wine and Vine. Consumption rose five per cent during 2005, compared to 0.5 per cent globally, and this has led to fierce competition in the UK as both New and Old World wineries jostle for position. Most wine in the UK is still sold at between three and five Euros, but prices have been under pressure due to the growing power of supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's in the wine sector. These two plus Asda (WalMart) account for half of UK wine sales. Britain's growing love for wine, yet unsuitable climate for planting vines, has made it the largest wine importer in the world in recent years.

Northern Italy is in mourning for the loss of their name after an EU ruling that Tokay can be Hungarian, and only Hungarian. Wine producers in Friuli, the region where Tocai Friuliano has been made for centuries, now have to call their wine simply Friulano. Under EU rulings on semi-generic names - which apply also to Gorgonzola, Champagne, Cheddar cheese, Parma ham and other products from famous regions - only Tokaji in Hungary can produce a wine of that name. Various appeals to European courts have been turned down. Hungary - which joined the EU in 2004 - has exclusive rights to the Tokaji label from March next year. Under the same rules, France's Tokay Pinot Gris and Tokay d'Alsace are being phased out.

Wine News and Information

Most winemakers say wine is made in the vineyard, but the winemaker's job is not finished after the harvest. The winemaker is the caretaker of the wine and a great deal of work is necessary before the wine is ready to be bottled.

At Monolithos Winery, young wines have now finished with fermentation and the first racking has been carried out in order to remove the wine from the deposits of sediment in the bottom of the stainless steel vats. The racking process contributes to the clarification and aeration of the wine. The racking operation is also used to administer and mix the necessary materials such as fining agents, sulphur dioxide and or facilitate the blending with another wine.

Bottling of the Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 took place in the second week of October. This wine will be placed on the market by Christmas time. All Monolithos wines, apart from Santa Monica Rose, are available and perfect for drinking now.

We thank you for your continued support. Take care, and always remember:

"Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized."

Regards from all of us here at Monolithos.