It's easier to appreciate and understand the tastes of white wines if you are familiar with the sorts of flavors normally associated with white wines. The flavors and aromas people identify in a wine are not precise, because no one adds honey, pear, or vanilla to wine while making it. Instead people identify flavors and aromas based on what they are reminded of while tasting the wine. This is why it helps to know what you might be looking for by being familiar with white wine flavors and aromas.
What are the Flavors & Aromas of White Wines?
This is not an exhaustive list of the sorts of flavors and aromas you'll find in white wines; instead, it's a list of some of the most common flavors and aromas which you are likely to encounter. The more familiar you are with these aromas and flavors independently, the easier it will be for you to identify them in whites wines you drink.
- Citrus (Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Lime, Nectarine)
- Floral (Honeysuckle, Violets, Jasmine)
- Fruit (Apple, Pear)
- Tropical (Melon, Pineapple)
- Butter
- Honey
- Herbaceous (Grass, Herbs)
- Earthy
What are the Flavors & Aromas Associated with Oaked White Wines?
Not all of the flavors of white wine come directly from the grapes themselves. Some of the most prominent and popular flavors in white wines arise from the methods which the vintners use to create their wine. Chief among these are the flavors derived from oak treatment — whether it is fermenting in oak barrels or just fermenting with oak chips in the wine.
These are some of the most common flavors you are likely to encounter in white wines that have been treated with oak in some fashion:
- Woody
- Smoky
- Toast
- Cinnamon
- Cream
- Caramel
- Spice
- Vanilla
- Cloves
- Nutty
