What Is a Wine Bouquet?

by Brewsy Recipe Team
wed, sep 7, 22

What Is a Wine Bouquet?

Whether you have made your own wine, bought one from a shop, or ordered one from a restaurant, you may have noticed a wine to have smells that would or would not normally be attributed to that wine, and this is called a wine bouquet.

 

Wine bouquets are a series of aromas found in any given wine. Once a wine has finished the process of winemaking, that is from grape-crushing to fermentation to clearing and bottling, it will have what is called the primary aromas. The primary aromas are, in short, aromas that are naturally derived from the grape or fruit used to make a wine.

 

Primary aromas tend to be descriptive of the actual wine such as having qualities of fruity, citrusy, or herbal smells. The smells come from aroma compounds which are found in different levels in different varietal wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, for one, has raspberry and green peppercorn aromas despite having neither raspberry nor green peppercorn added to it.

 

The secondary aromas, on the other hand, are what is called a wine bouquet. Now, when you hear read 'bouquet' you expect a bundle of flowers, but, in this case, it is a characteristic scent which can only occur in certain circumstances.

 

Wine bouquets are aromas that stem from fermentation, as opposed to the fruit itself like in wine aromas. These specific aromas are byproducts of both the fermentation process as well as the vessel used for containing said fermentation. One of the main sources of bouquets, though, is the yeast itself where it may lend the wine an aroma akin to freshly baked bread or butter, and this is because a strand of yeast used in winemaking is also known to be used in baking and beermaking. Speaking of beermaking, you may also get a secondary beer aroma from your wine that resembles beer, especially if the wine was aged on lees.

 

Lastly, there is a last set of smells found in a wine which is the tertiary aroma, and it is derived from the aging of a wine. The most common example of this kind of wine bouquet is the additional nutty-like flavor that can be acquired from aging a wine in a wooden barrel such as oak, for example. Other examples include cooking the wine, at low temperatures as to not burn off the alcohol, which causes a Maillard reaction. You know when you are searing meat or vegetables in a frying pan and there is this brown flavorful crust? That is the reaction. Cooking wine causes the sugars and amino acids to react with each other and caramelize thus imparting the wine with a caramel-like taste. Reaction flavors such as this is traditionally called Madeirizing because it refers to the most famous wine that is created using this method: Madeira.

 

Having all these bouquets also explains why, traditionally, red wine glasses tend to be big but only filled about 1/3 of the way. That is because it allows these aromas to gather in the glass and be sniffed before drinking. All in all, it is an experience for both the olfactory and gustatory senses.

 

more recipes
How Much Sugar Is There in Grapes?
How Much Sugar Is There in Grapes?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Is Wine Gluten-free?
Is Wine Gluten-free?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
How Much Alcohol Is in Wine?
How Much Alcohol Is in Wine?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is a Hangover? And How to Prevent It
What Is a Hangover? And How to Prevent It
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Does Wine Freeze?
Does Wine Freeze?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
How to Stop Wine Fermentation?
How to Stop Wine Fermentation?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
How to Oak Wine?
How to Oak Wine?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is a Hydrometer?
What Is a Hydrometer?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is Racking?
What Is Racking?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is Bottle Shock?
What Is Bottle Shock?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Letting Wine Breathe
Letting Wine Breathe
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is Wine Aging?
What Is Wine Aging?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is the Best Honey for Mead?
What Is the Best Honey for Mead?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What's the Alcohol Content in Hard Apple Cider?
What's the Alcohol Content in Hard Apple Cider?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Does Hard Cider Go Bad?
Does Hard Cider Go Bad?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What is the Difference Between Mead and Beer?
What is the Difference Between Mead and Beer?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
How to Taste White Wine?
How to Taste White Wine?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Mead Honey to Water Ratio
Mead Honey to Water Ratio
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is Mead Made From?
What Is Mead Made From?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Does Mead Taste Like?
What Does Mead Taste Like?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is a Wine Bouquet?
What Is a Wine Bouquet?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
How Does Wine Fermentation Work
How Does Wine Fermentation Work
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Is Wine Made Of?
What Is Wine Made Of?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Are the Different Types of Grapes for Winemaking?
What Are the Different Types of Grapes for Winemaking?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Equipment Needed for Winemaking
Equipment Needed for Winemaking
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What's the Difference Between Apple Wine and Apple Cider?
What's the Difference Between Apple Wine and Apple Cider?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What’s the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Fermentation?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Are 'Lees' in Winemaking?
What Are 'Lees' in Winemaking?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
What Are Wine Diamonds?
What Are Wine Diamonds?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Malolactic Culture: Bacteria in my wine?
Malolactic Culture: Bacteria in my wine?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Potassium Bicarbonate: What is it?
Potassium Bicarbonate: What is it?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Bentonite: What is it? And what purpose does it have in winemaking?
Bentonite: What is it? And what purpose does it have in winemaking?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Wine with Keto Diet
Wine with Keto Diet
by Brewsy Recipe Team
How many calories are in a 750mL bottle of wine?
How many calories are in a 750mL bottle of wine?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Why are sulfites added to wine?
Why are sulfites added to wine?
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Yeasts in Winemaking: Everything You Need to Know
Yeasts in Winemaking: Everything You Need to Know
by Brewsy Recipe Team
Is Sulfite Free Wine a Reality?
Is Sulfite Free Wine a Reality?
by team brewsy
Sulfites in wine are seen by some as a nuisance with many unknowns. Learn everything you need to know about wine and sulfites through this article.
What is Natural Wine?  An Overview
What is Natural Wine? An Overview
by team brewsy
Wine making is going back to its roots through pressure from a new movement.