Wine - noses, blackcurrants, undercurrents, overtones and all that jazz

[natalie_1982]

I'm not a wine buff (obviously or I wouldn't be asking the question), but if wine is made of grapes then how do you get "distinctive" blackcurrant, honesyblossom or whatvere else aromas?

I tried a red wine last week that smelled like Ribena to me, and it made me wonder. Someone told me that the way it is made makes it smell LIKE the blackcurrant, but why not just put blackcurrants in if you want that taste?

[sense4all]

Go to wine tasting event, or club together with a few mates and buy half a dozen bottles of the same grape variety wines. Mr Sense would insist on drinking it all, but first pour a taster glass of each wine and you will see that even something that is made from the same base ingredient finishes up as something very different . The soil make up, the way the wine is stored in wooden barrels or stainless steel vats , the amouny of rain or sunshine -all affect the end product,.Some people are ott with descriptions, but there are big differences. I love wine but hate pretentious gits and true vinophiles and vitners are very rarely up themselves like so called conesseurs they just like making good wines! Some reds are much better for being left to settle at room temperature -it all changes the taste.