STILTON
Stilton (F) Stilton (G) Stilton (I) Stilton (S)
Not as rare as you might think, all the compounds below are found in wine and also happen to be the most important contributors to the aroma and flavour of blue cheeses.
Diacetyl, 2-methylpropanal, 3-methylbutanal, ethyl butanoate, ethyl hexanoate, methional, dimethyl trisulphide, Heptan-2-one, 2-nonanone
SWEATY
Moîte (F) Schweißig (G) Sudato (I) Sudado (S)
An unattractive human-like sweatiness can be produced by a number of compounds.
Butanoic acid (butyric acid), pentanoic acid (valeric acid), octanoic acid (caprylic acid), hexanoic acid (caproic acid), 2-methylbutanoic acid, 3-butanoic acid
SWEATY SADDLES
Selles moîtes (F) Schweißige Sättel (G) Selle sudate (I) Silla de montar sudada (S)
This odour was considered to be a varietal characteristic specific to Shiraz grown in the Hunter Valley until it was widely declared to be a defect. For quite some time it was thought to
be a mercaptan fault, but the sweaty saddles odour (also described as barnyard, stables or horsey) is now known to be a specific volatile phenol defect caused
by Brettanomyces.
Ethyl-4-phenol
TAR
Goudron (F) Teer (G) Catrame (I) Alquitrán (S)
Possibly a varietal characteristic (Nebbiolo), but it is more probable that the wine has been matured in heavily toasted oak and possibly not racked, fined or filtered.
Guaiacol, 4-ethylguaiacol
TEA
Thé (F) Tee (G) Tè (I) Té (S)
A curious aroma found in some white wines.
2,4-dimethylthiazole
TERPENES
See Explanatory notes.
TOASTY
Pain-grillé (F) Toastig (G) Tostato (I) Tostado (S)
In cask-fermented or oak-aged wines, toastiness is caused by volatile phenols formed from the breakdown of oak lignin, whereas in wines that have never been in contact with oak
toastiness is also a bottle-aged aroma (as in stainless-steel fermented Champagne, Chardonnay, Sémillon, etc). Toastiness can also occur in young botrytised wine that have
never seen oak (caused by a non-wood lactone known as sotolon).
Sotolon (4.5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2-furanone), guaiacol and various guaiacol phenols (allyl or isoeugenol, ethyl, methyl, propyl and vinyl), syringol, methyl syringol
TOBACCO
Tabac (F) Tabak (G) Tabacco (I) Tabaco (S)
Often found in mature reds, particularly clarets.
3-oxy-a-ionol, b-damascenone, hydroxy-b-damascenone
TOFFEE
Caramel (F) Toffee (G) Caramella (S) Caramelo (S)
Less creamy than caramel, more oxidative.
VANILLA
Vanille (F) Vanille (G) Vaniglia (I) Vainilla (S)
Probably vanillin from new oak, although is also found in cork. Various vanillin based compounds also have vanilla aromas, and a hint of vanilla can be due to unrelated
compounds present in wines that have seen no oak or cork. Ethyl vanillin has a stronger vanilla aroma and is known in the flavouring industry as Bourbonal. Spicy-vanilla is
usually less obvious, more complex than plain vanilla and probably due to one or more of the last three compounds listed below. DDMP has a vanilla-sugar aroma and is a product of
Maillard Reactions during the toasting of oak barrels. DDMP is also found in soya beans and is generated when baking cookies (enhancing their aroma).
Vanillin, vanillyl acetate, acetovanilloneethyl vanillate, methyl vanillate, guaiacol, furylacetone, 4-ethylguiacol, DDMP (2,3-dihydro-2,5-dihydroxy- 6-methyl-4-H-pyran-4-one)
See also OAK
VINEGAR
Vinaigre (F) Essig (G) Aceto (I) Vinagre (S)
This is the classic volatile acidity or "VA" fault. Cooking a sweet & sour sauce is the quickest way to learn this aroma. A tiny amount of VA adds to the fruitiness of a wine
and even relatively high levels are deemed acceptable for certain styles (botrytis wines, Canadian ice-wines etc), but the recognition of VA at whatever level can spoil the pleasure of an otherwise very attractive wine. Some winemakers deliberately elevate VA levels to "lift" the fruit aroma, which is excusable on an inexpensive wine, but a danger sign for wines that are expected to age.
Acetic acid, ethyl acetate
VOLATILE PHENOLS
See Explanatory notes.
WALNUT
Noix (F) Walnuss (G) Noce (I) Nuez (S)
Often found in Meursault and Champagne from the Côte des Blancs, particularly when mature.
Sotolon (4.5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2-furanone)
WAX & HONEY
Cire & miel (F) Wachs & Honig (G) Cera & miele (I) Cera y miel (S)
A youthful honeyed character with an impression of wax is caused by ethyl esters of fatty acids, the concentrations of which reduce with ageing.
Ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate
WET DOG
Chien mouillé (F) Nasser Hund (G) Cane umido (I) Perro húmedo (S)
So-called "wet dog" or "wet wool" is a heat-generated volatile sulphur fault involving the Retro-Michael reaction of methional, which is thermally unstable
and evolves rapidly into acrolein and methanethiol, which are responsible for the so-called "wet dog" odour and a stronger cooked cauliflower smell.
Acrolein, methanethiol
YEASTY
Levuré (F) Hefig (G) Di lievito (I) Levadura (S)
Complex yeast-derived aromas such as those created during autolysis of a fine Champagne are very desirable, but not actually yeasty, which is unwelcome in any wine, including
Champagne.
See also BREAD
