Aromatic Whites
Vintage image sourced on Pinterest
I am, admittedly, very much a sucker for a great nose on a wine. Tasting many wines over the years has taught me to seek other things, like texture, concentration, balance and length, but I will probably always remain a sucker for a really pretty aromatic bouquet.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to smell all the things, whether you’re at a spice shop, a glamorous Diptyque boutique or in one of those over-the-top gas stations with tchotchkes and scented candles galore, I am your people, and this is a must-try tasting. All of the white wines in this tasting have aromas that practically leap out of the glass, making it clear that they’re something worth sniffing at.
Stuff to know
When I studied in France at the Burgundy School of Business, I got to take a class called “Sensorial Analysis and Appreciation.” Just the title alone was a huge “yes!” for me. While my scientific background is admittedly rather lacking, I still enjoyed the hell out of this class. I found it endlessly fascinating, discovering the reasons why we smell and taste as we do, and how different we are as individuals as my classmates and I participated in a variety of different demonstrations and experiments.
This was the class in which I learned that most languages have words for tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, etc.), but not for smells. There are a few languages from small hunter-gatherer communities in which there are common words dedicated to some of the thousands of volatile compounds that comprise scents…but most languages, like English, just refer to common sources for the scents, like roses, or metaphors, like “it smells like my grandmother’s soap.” I learned that the sensorial parts of our brains are not inherently connected to the linguistic parts, so without a linguistic structure to help us out, it’s pretty difficult for most of us to quickly put words to scents, so it usually takes a lot of practice to begin to speed up the process.
I learned that wines can have more than 500 different volatile aroma compounds, most with names like Geranyl acetate, which we could call rose-scented, though some conveniently have names like Vanillin, whose common scent source you can easily surmise. And I learned that aroma compounds can have different weights, so that some hustle their way up, up, up from the glass to reach your nose first, while others take a minute, sometimes only revealing themselves retronasally, once the wine is already in your mouth.
This is a tasting jam-packed with prominent aroma compounds, as the name implies. As you and your friends taste together, I encourage you to take some time with each wine, discovering not just what you smell upfront, but which scents take a moment to arrive, and which flavors are perceived only once the wines are on your palate. If you struggle to identify words for these aromas, just know that your language probably wasn’t set up to help you do so, and that practice makes perfect.
What to look for in this tasting
It goes without saying that in a tasting of aromatic whites, the focus will be on the aromas first. The scents of these wines are what make them most distinctive, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring on the palate. Far from it.
Some of these wines, like Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, will be lithe with prickly, tart, or racy acidity that lifts the wine’s flavors, while others, like Viognier and Gewürtztraminer, will be almost unctuously viscous, even oily in their weighty texture.
Several of these grapes are also known for their phenolics, a taste and texture that I often describe as a bitter almond flavor with the subtly drying texture of white tea.
Phenols are a group of compounds found in grape skins and seeds. The ones you’ve probably heard of before are tannins, the polyphenols that give many red wines their bitter astringency, often drying your palate or making it feel like something scratchy - or even velvety - has been scraped across your tongue, gums and the inside of your lips. Well, white wine grapes can have phenols, too. And their phenols can contribute bitterness and a similarly scratchy, drying sensation to wines, especially when the wines are made with some contact with the grape skins before the juice is pressed.
Gewürtztraminer, Torrontés and Viognier in particular are known for their phenolic bitterness, a characteristic I usually just call “phenolic,” though you might prefer bitter, scratchy, drying or other words for your experience. Pay attention to how these wines feel on the finish, especially in comparison to Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. The high-acidity wines will make your mouth water, while the phenolic wines will subtly make it feel as though it were drier, in a way that often feels pleasantly astringent, adding vibrancy to a wine that might otherwise fall flat.
The wines
#1: Riesling
Riesling is considered one of the wine world’s “noble” grapes, an incredibly versatile grape that can make wines that are dry, off-dry, fully sweet and plenty in between. They can age beautifully, astonishingly, even. They can showcase the place where their grapes were grown in distinctive, inimitable ways. Riesling wines were once some of the most prestigious wines in the world, much like wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux are today, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, they will be again.
Riesling, the grape, originated in Germany, where the world’s most prestigious Riesling wines continue to be made in regions like the Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Pfalz. It’s a grapevine that prefers cool climates, and can even thrive in some cold-ish climates where winter freezes and Spring frosts make viticulture difficult for most other vines.
Riesling wines tend to have a steely acidity, like an electric currant running through the wine, lighting up your senses. Their aromas are often ethereal, with jasmine, elderflower, lemon pith, honeycomb, and wet slate. Other Rieslings are so grapefruit or lime-forward that they might as well be margaritas.
Some Rieslings have this unique quality that most wine people describe as petrol or kerosene. Since I’m American, I prefer to just call it gasoline. I’ve also heard this smell described as fresh tennis ball can, hot trash bag or, less unsavory, hot plastic, like a plastic hose left outside on a scorching summer day. I know, I know, I’m really selling Rieslings now, aren’t I? I have to say that I love this smell, which is rarely overpowering and can be addictive in the same way that sniffing markers was as a kid. (Ok, fine, I still love that permanent marker smell). This polarizing scent is the result of TDN, a flavor compound with a really long scientific name that forms in Riesling wines with certain climatic influences or with time in the bottle. It’s intentional, and there is nothing wrong with wines that have this scent.
There’s also a common misperception that Rieslings are always low alcohol, light-bodied wines. Some are, but others aren’t. Most dry Rieslings will reach around 11-12% alcohol, though some can go as high as 14%.
What to ask for: Ask by name, ideally a dry German Riesling
Alternative(s): Dry Rieslings from Alsace, France; Austria; Australia; Washington State; or the Finger Lakes, New York
#2: Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc, in my opinion, is a lot like the broccoli of the wine world. It can be prepared in ways that make it pungent and aggressive, but it can also be downright delicious. I’ve smelled Sauvignon Blanc that might as well have been canned asparagus mixed with cat piss. And I’ve smelled Sauvignon Blanc with such subtlety that it was difficult to articulate what I was smelling, something like fresh dew and river stones and all things Spring.
Most Sauvignon Blanc wines fall into one of three style categories: fruit-forward, restrained or oaked. If you know already which style you prefer, ask your local retailer to suggest something from their assortment that fits your preferences. If not, the best way to find out is to taste. Fruit-forward wines can be tropical, ripe, green or all of the above mixed together, but the fruit will comprise the predominant flavors. Restrained wines could be described as citrus-forward, floral or ‘mineral,’ showing aromas like river rocks, gunflint, wet slate or other hard-to-describe characteristics. Intentionally oaked Sauvignon Blanc wines, like White Bordeaux and some Californian Fumé Blancs, are often made with toasted new oak barrels, which means that the oak impact should be clear. Think vanilla, caramel, toast, cedar. The texture and weight of these wines will be different too, with the oak imparting more of both.
Most Sauvignon Blanc wines are meant to be drunk young. There are wines that will develop for a few years in the bottle, and some will hold for longer, but for the most part, winemakers assume that you’ll be enjoying these wines while they’re relatively youthful and fresh. Knowing that leads me to look for said “freshness” in Sauvignon Blanc wines, in all of its various forms. Citrus-forward, grassy, tropical, toasty or dewier than iced tea, I think it’s worth seeking out flavor purity and freshness in these wines.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Sauvignon Blanc from France, such as Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, Quincy, Touraine, Coteaux du Giennois, Entre-deux-Mers or White Bordeaux, or from New Zealand, the US, Chile, South Africa, Australia or Spain
#3: Gewürztraminer
However you say it or spell it, Gewürtztraminer (”geh-vurtz-traminer”), Gewurtztraminer sans umlaut, Traminer, or my go-to shorthand, Gewurtz (”geh-vurtz”), this is one of the most polarizing grape varieties and wines I’ve ever witnessed firsthand.
Personally, I love a good Gewurtz. I full-on revel in its one-of-a-kind, abundantly floral nose, with aromas of roses, orange blossom, Turkish Delight and sweet lychees, followed by ripe peaches, a ginger-y kick and rich weightiness on the palate. I also have friends who full-on detest Gewurtz, saying that it smells like soap and tastes like it, too.
Gewurtz is like the cilantro of the wine world. Usually, you’re either into it or you absolutely, viscerally hate it. And is there anything more entertaining than watching someone try something polarizing for the first time? The anticipation! I was lucky enough to capture a picture of one of my good friends who hates Gewurtz at a winery in Eguisheim, in Alsace, France, Léon Beyer, when her nose reached the glass, just before tasting one of their Gewurz wines. I was prepared to see her restraining an expression of disgust, but surprisingly, she enjoyed the wine, so my picture captured her expression of wide-eyed, brow-raising astonishment.
Somewhat unexpectedly, given its name, the best-known regions for Gewurtztraminer wines today are Alsace, France and Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy. This confusing circumstance is thanks to changing European borders, since the charming village of Tramin that lent Gewurztraminer its name sits in a region that goes by Trentino-Alto Adige, but also Südtirol, aka South Tyrol, since it lies just south of Austria’s Tyrol region. In this part of northern Italy, which was part of Austria until WWI, everyone still speaks both German and Italian, though I’ve learned that English fluency isn’t necessarily a given, even in hotels. Alsace, France, too, is a region whose borders have flipped between France and Germany over the years, creating an Alsatian dialect and culture all its own. Other countries making Gewurtztraminer wines include Germany, where it more commonly goes by Roter Traminer, Austria, where it goes by Traminer, and countries like Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, Switzerland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Chile and a few American states, particularly Washington and Oregon.
What to ask for: Ask by name, preferably a dry or off-dry Gewurztraminer from Alsace, France or Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Alternative(s): Dry Gewurztraminer wines from other countries
#4: Viognier
If you’ve checked out the Rhône Reds or Syrah & Shiraz tastings, you might remember than in some appellations in the Northern Rhône and in the US and Australia, Syrah is co-fermented with a white grape called Viognier to add aromas, stabilize color and alter the texture and tannins of the wines. Viognier isn’t just a blending grape though, it has plenty of character all by itself.
“Vee-own-yay” is one of those pain-in-the-butt grapes, like Pinot Noir, that are just difficult. It’s a grape variety that demands a lot of love and attention, in both the vineyards and the winery. Viognier almost went extinct just before the 1980s, when only a few producers were choosing to bother with the labor-intensive and costly management of Viognier vines on the steep, terraced slopes in Condrieu. There still aren’t all that many producers in Condrieu today, but the fact that the appellation itself is only 540 acres (220 ha) has more to do with why these days.
Viognier wines are known for aromas that practically burst forth from the glass. To me, they smell like fresh peaches, apricots, orange blossoms and honeysuckle. With that nose, these wines might surprise you on the palate, since they’re by no means delicate flowers. Viognier wines are weighty, often with high alcohol levels, and tend to have a viscous, almost oily texture. They usually have low or just moderate levels of acidity, so the feeling of freshness comes mostly from the aromas and sometimes from a bite of bitterness, like almond skin, on the finish. Some Viognier wines undergo oak aging, adding further weight and texture.
Viognier wines are often polarizing, both in whether they are wholeheartedly loved or not, and whether they should be aged or not. You get to decide where you fall in both of these camps.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Condrieu, Château-Grillet, 100% Viognier from the Languedoc-Roussillon or from other Rhône regions, 100% Viognier wines from the US or Australia
#5: Muscat
Muscat isn’t technically a single grape variety, but a name for a family of grape varieties, including Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Ottonel. These three family members alone go by a variety of other names, from Moscatel to Moscato to Muskateller and even Zibibbo, and there are even more family members to boot. This convoluted family tree situation is largely thanks to the fact that Muscat and all of its relations are some of the oldest grape varieties known today, enjoyed in ancient Greece and by the prolific Roman vine-spreaders, too.
There are many sparkling, sweet and fortified wines made from Muscat varieties from all over the world, but for this tasting, the dry or off-dry styles work best. Muscat is often used as a blending partner, adding its fresh, fruity aromas to other white wines, but in this tasting, it’s ideal to taste it solo.
While there are variations amongst Muscat family members, most Muscat-based wines have prominent aromas that range from orange blossom and fresh grapes to peaches, honey and orange marmalade. If you’ve ever thought that wine should smell like grapes, Muscat wines will be right up your alley. On the palate, these wines are usually supported by a moderate acidity and body, though in some regions, like Alsace, they can have extra weight and textural richness.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Dry or off-dry Muscat wines from Alsace, France; Greece or Chile
#6: Torrontés
Torrontés wines, like Gewürztraminer, can be polarizing. Unsurprisingly, given that Muscat is a relation, these wines often have a prominent scent of grapes, even roasted grapes, along with tropical aromas like lychee or mango and floral or lime aromas. Torrontés wines are typically dry, with low to moderate acidity, high alcohol levels and a salty, saline-like kick on the palate that contrasts its seemingly sweet aromas. Where it usually gets polarizing is on the palate, since some tasters perceive a soap-like bitterness that turns them off, while others taste only a hint of bitterness that adds a pleasant contrast to the wine’s perceived fruitiness.
Argentina is the country best-known for Torrontés wines, though, confusingly, the word is also sometimes used as a name for different white grape varieties in Spain. In Argentina, the high-elevation, northerly vineyards in Cafayete are known for making the best Torrontés wines.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): Stick with a Torrontés from Argentina
Tasting tips
The eats
The wines in this tasting range from racy and bright to richly viscous, almost oily, with just enough acidity and astringent bite to avoid feeling flat. With this kind of structural range and some huge aromatics to contend with, I recommend making a big ol’ charcuterie board with plenty of flavors on offer. Call it a girl dinner if you want.
If you’re not the decorating type, feel free to skip the board itself and just put some cheeses on plates with the appropriate utensils and bust out a bunch of little bowls and plates for the rest. You know your space best, and sometimes, it’s easier to pass bowls around than to get everyone close enough together to snack from a single board.
The kinds of things I’d include for this tasting are creamy, soft cheeses like Brie and Chèvre, mild, firm cheeses like Comté and Swiss, smoked ham and plenty of snack-y extras like dried apricots or figs, Castelvetrano olives, cornichon pickles, sliced apples or cantaloupe, cashews or macadamia nuts, corn nuts, pear jelly or orange marmalade and plenty of fun crackers or breads to play with.
If you want to get more adventurous, try making candied lemons, limes or oranges to add to the mix. Homemade candied citrus is a recent revelation for me, since I tried out this lemon cardamom olive oil cake while hosting a dinner after Christmas, during that period of time when everyone is ready to set aside the ginger spices and traditional treats and shift toward something just a bit lighter and brighter dessert-wise. It was a hit, but the best part for me was finding out that I can make the candied citrus myself, from whole slices or just the rind. Talk about a winter wonder.
Note: If you’re from a part of the world where things like lychees, gooseberries, elderflower or Turkish Delight aren’t part of your flavor repertoire, consider going on a hunt for some of these foods or drinks with their flavors (like elderflower syrups) to include in your tasting event. It’s always a revelation, adding new scents and flavors to your experiences, and your guests will appreciate it, too.
The prep
These wines should be relatively easy to find, and your guests will have a range of price points to choose from for each style. It’s up to you as a host to decide if you’d like to set a spending range, or if you’d prefer to let your guests determine what they’re each comfortable spending on this tasting.
A note on the tasting order: The wines are listed in the order of which should be included first, so that even if there are just 4 wines in the tasting, you’ve got a well-rounded experience ahead. However, I’d suggest switching up the order in which you taste the wines, regardless of how many wines make it in the final cut, so that you’re starting with the leanest, most subtle wines and ending with the fullest, as follows:
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Torrontés
Muscat
Gewürztraminer
Viognier
Sources
Gewurztraminer, Jancis Robinson | Oxford Companion to Wine
Muscat, Jancis Robinson | Oxford Companion to Wine
