Aroma

Three layers of aroma

Wine professionals traditionally divide aroma into three layers. Primary aromas come from the grape itself: the terpenes in Muscat, the pyrazines in Sauvignon Blanc, the peppery rotundone in Syrah. Secondary aromas are produced by fermentation, including the fruity esters that bubble off in the early days of an alcoholic fermentation and the buttery diacetyl from malolactic conversion. Tertiary aromas develop during ageing, particularly in oak or on lees, and include vanilla, toast, honey, mushroom, leather and petrol.

A young English Bacchus on the nose shows a textbook primary palette of elderflower, blackcurrant leaf and freshly cut grass, lifted by secondary fermentation esters. A traditional method sparkling wine aged 24 months on lees adds tertiary notes of brioche, baked apple and toasted hazelnut. A still Pinot Noir from a ripe vintage gains cherry, strawberry and subtle spice as it ages, and after four or five years may start to show forest floor and beetroot.

How aroma is built in UK winemaking

Three UK-specific factors shape the aromatic profile of the country's wines. First, the cool climate preserves primary aromas that would be cooked off in warmer regions. Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, for example, is famous for tropical notes because its thiols develop under bright sun. English Sauvignon Blanc and Bacchus, by contrast, tend towards greener, more herbal and floral notes because those same compounds are preserved by the cooler nights.

Second, the UK's long, slow fermentations, often in stainless steel at 12 to 18 degrees Celsius, generate a richer ester profile than the rapid hot fermentations of hotter climates. Third, lees ageing, particularly in traditional method sparkling wines, builds a complex autolytic aroma that is the signature of premium English fizz.

The role of glassware and temperature

UK producers almost always recommend serving sparkling wine between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius and still white between 10 and 12. Below 6 degrees, the aromas are muted. Above 14, the alcohol starts to dominate. A tulip-shaped white wine glass or a proper Champagne flute concentrates the volatiles at the rim, which is why a glass choice at a tasting can change a wine's apparent quality by a surprising amount.

Aroma in the UK industry

Producers describe their wines in tasting notes on back labels, websites and trade sheets. Words like elderflower, gooseberry, red apple, sourdough, brioche, hedgerow, bramble and freshly cut hay appear far more often in English technical sheets than in, say, Australian ones, because they reflect what the climate actually produces. Trade buyers at UK competitions such as the Decanter World Wine Awards and the International Wine Challenge score aroma as a major component of the total quality score, typically 30 to 40 percent of the total marks.

For consumers, the best way to learn UK wine aroma vocabulary is to attend a tutored tasting. Many vineyards offer them as part of the cellar-door experience, including Chapel Down, Nyetimber, Gusbourne, Hambledon and Ridgeview. The WineGB Tasting Room, when events are running, is another option. These sessions are also where the more technical language of esters, thiols and terpenes is explained, which helps you read those technical sheets with a more critical eye.