Recently, I posted a piece discussing how fermentation and aging affect a wine’s aroma. But, it was brought to my attention that the terms aroma and bouquet are different when it comes to wines. So, here’s a quick summary of each:
Aroma - Each grape variety (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, etc.) has its own set of aromas. These aromas are fruit, herbal and floral scents that are just from the grape. These are also referred to as primary aromas.
Bouquet - The bouquet of a wine comes from the fermentation and aging processes. During the fermentation process, yeast turns the grapes’ natural sugars to alcohol. But, the yeast can also impart scents associated with bread, butter, cheese and earthiness, such as mushrooms. Aging a wine in oak barrels can impart scents of vanilla, caramel, chocolate, smoke and tobacco. These scents of a wine’s bouquet are also referred to as secondary aromas.