The University of Davis California developed an aroma wheel to aid in the tasting of wine. It is meant to provide a standard vocabulary for the nose of a wine. Some smells are pleasant, whereas others are indicative of a problem (e.g. wet cardboard). The wheel may be applied to both red wine and white wine, but note that different grapes have different characteristic aromas. For white wines, a Sauvignon Blanc is frequently characterized as "vegetal" whereas a Reisling might have a "floral" aroma. Reds like Cabernet Sauvignon often have a vegetal smell, or hints of "berry". Highly oaked red and white wines have a vanilla smell.

Unfortunately, the Wine Aroma Wheel does not translate well to raw text. The aroma wheel follows, unrolled. The left column is center of the wheel, corresponding to the more general terms. The right column is the wheel edge, corresponding to more specific terms:
Floral          Floral         Terpene
                               Linalool
                               Jasmine
                               Rose
                               Violet
                               Geranium

Spicy           Spicy          Cinnamon
                               Cloves
                               Black Pepper
                               Licorice/Anise
                               Mint

Fruity          Citrus         Grapefruit
                               Lemon
                               Orange
                Berry          Blackberry
                               Raspberry
                               Strawberry
                               Blackcurrant
                Tree Fruit     Cherry
                               Apricot
                               Peach
                               Pear
                               Apple
                Tropical Fruit Pineapple
                               Melon
                               Banana
                Estery         Artificial fruit
                Dried Fruit    Strawberry jam
                               Raisin
                               Prune
                               Fig
                Labrusca       Methyl Anthranilate

Vegetative      Fresh          Stemmy
                               Grass/cut
                               Green bell pepper
                               Eucalyptus
                Dried          Hay/Straw
                               Tea
                Canned/Cooked  Green beans
                               Asparagus
                               Green olive
                               Black olive
                               Artichoke

Earthy          Earthy         Dusty
                               Mushroom 
                               Concrete
                               Earthy
                Moldy          Musty
                               Moldy cooperage
                               Moldy cork       

Chemical        Petroleum      Tar
                               Plastic
                               Kerosene
                               Diesel
                Sulfur         Rubbery
                               Hydrogen sulfide 
                               Mercaptan        
                               Onion
                               Garlic
                               Skunk
                               Cabbage
                               Burnt Match
                               Wet wool/wet dog
                Papery         Filter pad
                               Wet cardboard
                               Wet paper
                Pungent        Ethyl acetate    
                               Acetic acid      
                               Ethanol
                               Sulfur dioxide   
                Other          Fishy
                               Soapy
                               Sorbate
                               Fusel alcohol

Oxidized        Oxidized       Acetaldehyde     

Wood            Phenolic       Phenol
                               Vanilla
                Resinous       Pine
                               Cedar
                               Oak

Caramelized     Caramel        Honey
                               Butterscotch
                               Buttery
                               Soy sauce
                               Chocolate
                               Molasses
                Burned         Burnt toast
                               Smoky

Microbiological Yeasty         Flor-yeast
                               Leesy
                Lactic         Sauerkraut
                               Butyric acid
                               Sweaty
                               Lactic acid
                Other          Horsy

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.