Smoky Aromas in Wines

"Another aroma that you might smell is smoke or smoky. It can be in a white wine, a sparkling wine, or a red wine. In a white wine, smokiness, or what I call oaky smoky, or burnt sugar, is usually a reflection of being aged in oak. Not always; because there's no such thing as always in wine, but usually smokiness in a white wine comes from being aged in an oak barrel. They can even toast those barrels with kind of a burntness to bring across a little bit of a smoke aroma in wine. It's highly regarded, and it's probably going to be in a big, bold, full-bodied wine, like a Chardonnay or a Fume` Blanc. Sparkling wine, even though it's lighter than air, and one of the lightest wines on the face of the earth, you can also get a little bit of a smoke or almost a burnt smoke aroma. It's probably going to be in the top of the glass, and it's going to be a result of the long yeast aging that most sparkling wine goes through. It can add a whole lot of interest to a sparkling wine. It might even remind you of burnt toast, or believe it or not; burnt coffee. It won't taste that way, though. Red wines often have a little bit of smoke; probably in the middle, maybe on the top. As a matter of fact, a spicy red wine will probably be a smoky red wine, as well. It can be from oak aging, it can be from oak fermentation, or it can come from the grape or the soil in a red wine. Look for a smoky, or kind of burnt aroma, taste, or flavor right in the middle of the glass. It may or may not come across as a smoky flavor, but if it does, it will taste good to you. If you think that wine will go well with smoked foods; as long as you like the flavor of smoke the answer is yes. Smoke in food will probably enhance the smoky flavor of wine, and you can just sit there and smoke all night."