Spicy Aromas in Wines

"The smell of spice is one of my favorite smells in wines. You usually get the smell of a spice at the top of a glass. Spice can actually be from the grape, or from the production, so we can probably use either the term aroma or bouquet to talk about spices. White wine very often smells like vanilla; it's one of my favorite spicy aromas in a white wine. It can also smell like ginger, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon; and usually you can also get those at the top of the glass. Red wine can have a much broader array of spicy aromas. You can get the same, you can get vanilla; as a matter of fact, you probably will in just about any red wine. You can also get ginger, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon. Those are called sweet spices. In a red wine, you also might get black pepper, red pepper, white pepper, or what we call savory herb spices and those are the savory spices. Look for black pepper, especially in herb aromas, scents, and bouquets up at the top of the glass. It certainly adds to the overall enjoyment of a glass of wine. Some of the spicier white wines are Gewertzaminer, Viognier, Chardonnay, and Rieseling. In a red wine, you're sure to get spice in a Malbec, a Zinfandel, or a Shiraz; also, just about any other red wine will probably have a good deal of spice in it. Look for it at the top of the glass, and it may come through on the flavor, as well."