Aroma

A term often used superficially to refer generally to taste, aroma and/or smell, but which is used in more detail among connoisseurs worldwide in the sense of 'wine'.

Der Begriff stammt aus dem Griechischen und bedeutet ursprünglich ‚würzig‘. Ein Wein durchläuft -insbesondere beim Champagner- mehrere Stadien der Aromabildung. Schon im Most lassen sich ca. 100 Aromastoffe bestimmen. Nach der (ersten) Gärung entwickeln sich 400 (+) Aromastoffe. Außerdem kann der (noch) stille Wein manchmal in Holzfässern (Barriques) gelagert werden (Fass-Ausbau), die weitere Aromen hervor rufen. Bei der Herstellung eines Champagners folgt die zweite Gärung in Flaschen (wie auch die Lagerung), was ihm wiederum bestimmte Aromen verleiht.

In France, one also speaks of l'arôme en bouche (mouth aroma). The qualification of a taste is directly related to the transmission of corresponding scents to the nose via the retronasal channel in the oral cavity. Simply 'sniffing' a wine is not considered sufficient for the acquisition of aromas.

When tasting a wine, connoisseurs prefer to classify the aromas into primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary aromas allow, among other things, conclusions to be drawn about the original grape variety(ies), since the processed grapes themselves provide a certain aroma or aromas peculiar to them. Secondary aromas are often associated with fermentation, among other things. Tertiary aromas, on the other hand, develop during barrel and/or bottle aging.

In the evaluation of these three aroma stages, conclusions can also be drawn about the age and 'dignity' of the wine. Compared to most wines, champagne can present itself as aromatically particularly complex (and sometimes also somewhat mysterious), especially since it also undergoes the first fermentation of the (still) still wine, blending is often used, oak barrel aging takes place in some houses, it always undergoes a second (bottle) fermentation, and every champagne is additionally allowed to rest for a long time 'on the yeast' by design.