Aroma versus Bouquet

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Recently a listener wrote to ask; “When referring to wine a friend says that aroma and bouquet are not the same. I say that they are two words used interchangeably to describe the same thing.”

Which of us is correct?

To the common wine drinker, when it comes to describing fragrances emitted by a wine, the terms aroma and bouquet are often used interchangeably. However, in more academic wine circles, the terms describe differing aspects of wine fragrance. The term aroma is generally focused upon fragrances that originate in the fruit itself such as the varietal smell of the type of grape the wine is made from and the accompanying fragrance characteristics associated with that particular grape variety. The bouquet refers to the fragrances that evolved during the winemaking process such as the yeasty smell in Champagne or sparkling wine or the smell of vanilla from the oak barrel. Bouquet also describes the character taken on by aging the wine. The total fragrance of the two combined may be referenced as “the nose”. Therefore, I guess the best way I could settle the difference between you and your friends is to say that you are both right but for entirely different reasons. Yes, amongst the lay wine drinker, the terms aroma and bouquet are commonly interchanged. Although no, they do not mean the same thing amongst those in the field of wine study. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.