Chemical Aromas in Wines

Video Transcript

"Let me talk to you about chemical aromas. Chemical aromas can be found in just about any wine, and they're usually highly misunderstood. Chemical aromas are some of those things that make people kind of turn off to wine, and maybe not understand wine. Prepare yourself, but in a white wine, especially if you hold your nose above the rim of the glass; you might find some of the following chemical aromas; you might find a little bit of gasoline, you might find a little bit of nail polish remover, you might find a little bit of ammonia, and you might find a little bit of paint, or paint thinner, or varnish. I know that doesn't sound very appealing, and don't worry; it won't taste that way, but it's probably on the top of the glass, and you'll probably be able to smell it, but it should go away very quickly. It's not a sign of a bad wine. In red wines we can get the same, but we can also get the aroma of leather, smoke, wet dog, new car smell, or plastic; which I like to call "eau de Mattel." I know these don't sound very appealing, but these are natural byproducts of fermentation, and they're a little bit of the overall complexity of the wine. I like to tell people to think of that little chemical hint; that little smell of leather, that little touch of ammonia in the glass, it's just like the off note in a jazz piece that adds to the overall complexity. You don't want that to be the only thing that's there, but a little bit of it is just okay, and it adds to the overall flavor profile in a way that's appealing; kind of like bitter in bittersweet chocolate. It's a good thing as long as that's not all that you taste. Don't be afraid of chemical aromas. They're there in wine, and if you think you smell it; if you think that's a wet dog, or a wet cat, that's probably a good way to describe it."