The Secret to Smelling Wine Like a Pro? Use the Three-Tier Aroma System

Aromas are funny. While the human nose has around 400 scent receptors and researchers have reported that it can distinguish at least one trillion different odors, or combinations of aromatic molecules, what we smell is not all straight science. The reality is that our ability to identify various scents depends on factors such as our internal chemistry, personal references, and experience, and how we align those compounds to material items. 

Essentially, what smells like Meyer lemon to one person could be yuzu to another. Allspice may come across like clove to a particular individual, while mulberry to one could be blackberry to another. 

This makes the world of wine aromas both compelling and frustrating. Certain aromatic conventions may be accepted for some wine types or grapes — think gooseberry scents for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or the black currant headiness of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — but beyond those broad acceptances, there’s a near-infinite number of answers to the question of what you smell in a glass of wine. 

Further complicating things, much of what we perceive as flavor is actually derived from our sense of smell, meaning that aromas are responsible for a significant percentage of what we taste. The personal influence attached to our perceptions of a wine’s bouquet makes it even more unfortunate when people worry their descriptions are incorrect or, heaven forbid, considered wrong by a “professional.”

“I feel like we have a burden of terminology in wine speak, and I think it’s overwhelming to consumers who are still struggling to identify basic smells,” says Kelli White, education director at the Wine Center at Meadowood and author of Napa Valley, Then & Now. “I think when we layer too much terminology and categorization, it starts to sound like you’re studying for the LSAT instead of enjoying a beautiful glass of wine.”

Rather than feel like you need a word salad to describe a wine’s aromatic profile, start by assessing the wine’s three broader categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas. Evaluating scents within the constructs of these groups will not only help to organize what you’re experiencing, but it will also help you recognize the types of characteristics you prefer and should look for when shopping for your next bottle.

Let’s break it down.

Primary Aromas

Primary wine aromas generally come from the source — in the case of wine, the fruit, or grapes, used. Each grape variety has its own set of characteristics, also called varietal aromas, that vary in profile and intensity. These are the core scents of a wine and typically dominate the bouquet in younger bottles. 

“I like to think of primary aromas as those which are usually prevalent and easily identifiable in younger wines,” says Cristie Norman, lead sommelier at Wynn Las Vegas, president/cofounder of the United Sommeliers Foundation, and creator of The Online Wine Course for Beginners. “Bold fruit and flower aromas fall into this category.”

There’s a wide range of scents that can be considered a part of this category, from fruity tones (red fruit, black fruit, berry, stone fruit, tropical fruits, citrus, and more) to floral aromas (like honeysuckle, rose, or violet), herbal accents (like eucalyptus, ginger, or lavender) or hints of mineral (like chalk, granite, or flint). 

Some primary aroma examples include the sweet citrus scent of a Moscato, the lychee notes of Gewürztraminer, or the peppery kick of Cabernet Franc. 

A wine’s primary aromas are generally aligned to the grape used, as opposed to the production methods or maturity, though climatic influence and winemaking preferences can affect the intensity of primary aromas.  Think of a warm- versus cool-climate bottling of the same variety, how fruit expressions may differ, or how a wine that’s fermented in stainless steel presents versus one fermented in oak. 

Secondary Aromas

While primary aromas come from the fruit, secondary aromas are the result of a wine’s vinification, or its production techniques and processes. Examples include decisions made during fermentation, maturation, and aging, such as the choice to use malolactic fermentation or aging a wine on its lees (dead yeast cells left over after fermentation), or in oak before bottling. 

“Most people can accept and appreciate that wine is fruity, that’s a natural conversation,” says White. “But then to jump over to secondary [aromas], things like brioche or vanilla or even more obscure things like Parmesan in Chablis, that is a little bit more of a leap. But once you make that leap, it’s actually a really exciting thing to explore.”

From the type of yeast used to the temperature of a ferment and beyond, there are a variety of considerations when a wine is being made that can impact the presence of secondary aromas. 

For instance, fermentation with wild yeasts can yield some more “funky” or earthy characteristics in a wine, while malolactic fermentation, or the process of converting tart malic acid to creamier lactic acid, can develop nutty, creamy, and buttery aromas.

Aging wine before bottling can also result in an array of secondary aromas. Wines that are aged in contact with lees , including traditional method sparkling wines like Champagne, can exhibit strong autolytic, yeasty notes like biscuit, bread, and brioche.

Meanwhile, oak aging can result in some of the most pronounced secondary aromas, such as  cedar, coconut, smoke, toast, or vanilla, depending on the type of oak used, the wood age, and its toast level. 

Tertiary Aromas

If primary notes come from the land and secondary notes come from the winemaker’s hand, then tertiary is anything that happens after.

Tertiary aromas are a curious category as they vary wildly and, with their complexity, are quite open to personal interpretation. They are often expressed in mature herbal and earthy contexts, like forest floor, mushroom, tobacco, tea, and woody notes, alongside dried or confected fruit, floral, and nutty elements.

Generally, tertiary aromas are the result of oxidative or reductive aging. Oxidative aging, or when a wine is aged for a long period in porous vessels like barrels, can produce enticing aromas such as coffee, toffee, chocolate, and caramel. Reductive aging, which takes place in airtight oxygen-free vessels (such as the bottle itself), can result in mushroom, truffle, and earthy aromas.

“When it comes to older wine, I usually talk about things in terms of earthiness, in terms of perfume, in terms of texturally, in terms of harmony,” says White. “I probably get a little more poetic when talking about older wine rather than specifically saying ‘This is like shiitake mushroom,’ or ‘This is sandalwood,’ but more ‘This is earthy or woody,’ and sometimes that can be helpful because naming aromas can be hard or abstract. But if you take someone through a visual journey, like a walk through the forest, the overall ambiance of tertiary flavors, we have human experiential equivalents we can invoke rather than being so clinical.”

A key advantage to discerning aromas within these major categories is the ability to identify which groups you appreciate the most. 

“Identifying these aromas in wine can support you in discerning what you like and don’t like,” says Norman. “If every time you identify tertiary aromas, you don’t like the wine, maybe you prefer young, fresh wines. Vice versa, if you heavily prefer wines with secondary and tertiary factors being the dominant character, you may prefer vinous wine with age. I do think peoples’ palates change over time, so be open to thinking differently later. But identifying what you like right now can make drinking more enjoyable by being able to articulate exactly what you like and don’t like.”