The different types of red wines are essentially distinguished by their aromas. These come from various stages of winemaking and the winemaker's choices, and make up the uniqueness of each vintage. Focus on the aromas of red wines .
Learn to recognize the different aromas of a red wine
During a tasting, the aromas of the wine are felt both in the mouth and in the nose. It is thanks to the phenomenon of retro-olfaction that we can feel so precisely the sensations and flavors of wines, whether white wines, rosé wines or red wines.
The nose of wine
First of all, wine tasting always begins with visual analysis, during which we observe the color of the red wine . Then comes the olfactory examination, where the taster discovers the bouquet of the wine , perceptible through the nose.
All you have to do is lean your nose over the glass and inhale to feel the first aromas. Olfactory analysis then reveals:
- The first nose : without swirling the wine in the glass, the wine lover smells the wine for the first time. It is at this moment that the main faults of the wine can be revealed (cork taste, vinegar smell, etc.);
- The second nose : after stirring the wine in the glass, to release its aromas, the taster begins his olfactory analysis again. The smells perceived here provide information about the grape variety and wine region of the wine bottle.
The mouth of wine
After the olfactory examination, let us now move on to the taste analysis, to discover the taste of the wine . From the first sip, we perceive different sensations: first sweetness, then acidity, and ending with bitterness.
By letting the wine circulate in the mouth for a few seconds, the taste buds perceive the aromas, but also the sensation in the mouth produced by the tannins, as well as different perceptions, such as the consistency of the wine, sensitivity to alcohol, or even the wine temperature.
The role of tannins in red wine
Tannins are these chemical substances naturally present in the skin of the grapes, the seeds and the stems of the bunches of grapes, but also in the direct environment of the vineyard and the winery. During winemaking, they are transferred into the juice, and are responsible for the particular character of the wine, including astringency .
Astringency is this rasping sensation that we feel more or less strongly in the mouth when we drink wine. Tannins being much more present in red wine, which has been macerated for a long time with the skins of the grapes, than in white wines, we attribute these perceptions more to red wines.
The more tannic the wine, the more pronounced the feeling of dryness will be.
What are the aromas of red wine?
Red wine reveals 3 families of aromas : primary aromas, secondary aromas, and aging aromas (or tertiary aromas).
Primary aromas
In the primary aromas , or varietal aromas, coming from the terroir and the grape variety of the wine, we distinguish:
- Floral aromas (violet, rose, peony, dried flowers, etc.);
- Plant aromas (humus, notes of green pepper, etc.);
- Fruity aromas (red fruits, black fruits, banana, white fruits, yellow fruits, exotic fruits, etc.);
- Spicy aromas (thyme, bay leaf, garrigue...).
Secondary aromas
Among the secondary aromas , or fermentation aromas, which come from the winemaking technique, we distinguish:
- Fermentation notes (bread crumbs, yeast, biscuits, brioche, etc.);
- Milky notes (notes of melted butter, milk, yogurt, etc.);
- Amylic notes (English candy, nail polish, etc.).
Tertiary aromas
Tertiary aromas come from the aging of the wine, and are distinguished into 7 categories of gourmet perfumes:
- Fruity notes (stewed red fruits, plum, prune, dried fruits, etc.);
- Empyreumatic aromas (toasted bread, cocoa, coffee, tobacco, flint, etc.);
- Woody notes, or balsamic aromas (oak, pine, smoked wood, etc.);
- Spicy notes (cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, licorice...);
- Vegetal notes (mushroom, undergrowth...);
- Chemical notes (nail polish, solvent, etc.).
The aromas of our red wines
If you like the typical aromas of red wines from Provence , you will be seduced by the flavors of our different vintages of red wine from our estates.
- Grande Récolte Red 2018 - AOP Côtes de Provence : aromas of black fruits, licorice, Ente plums and pepper;
- Red inspiration 2016 - AOP Côtes de Provence : aromas of slightly woody red fruits and spices;
- Terres de Berne red 2019 - AOP Côtes de Provence : aromas of blackcurrant, spicy notes and a hint of menthol;
- Château de Berne Grande Cuvée rouge 2019 - AOP Côtes de Provence : aromas of pepper, Havana, ripe black fruits and violet;
- Le Pigeonnier rouge 2016 - AOP Côtes de Provence : aromas of stewed red fruits, licorice and pepper, as well as discreet flavors of woody spices and roasting;
- Ultimate Provence red 2019 - AOP Côtes de Provence : generous flavors of ripe red fruits and spices.
The typical aromas of red wines are able to stand out and give all the character to this type of wine. We then discover a wide aromatic palette, to be discovered through the vintages of the different wine estates in France and around the world.
