The Most Aromatic Grape Varieties?

[MDH]

I'm a big home winemaker, but am also involved in the (legal) distilling industry to an extent. I've always loved Muscat wines, and big, rich, over-the-top aromatic reds as well as eau de vie.

However, I know much of this fruitiness is caused by having a low-pitch rate, high temperature ferment and possibly good time with skins depending on the grape.

My question to those of you who may be more scientifically oriented:

Which grapes produce the most aroma, by the raw numbers of esters / aromatic compounds, independent of environment and soil? Is there a present statistic available on this?

 

[codeman]

Gewurztraminer

End of thread.

 

[ncwine]

Traminette is a very aromatic white and even opens with a little barrel aging


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[codeman]

Traminette is 50% Gewurztraminer. ;-)

 

[seth8530]

If you want an extremely aromatic wine, choose an aromatic grape like gerwurtz and ferment it cold. So choose a good yeast for cold fermentation that has characteristics that will compliment the wine and do a cool fermentation with scheduled nutrient additions. Pretty much, instant win for getting great aromatics.

 

[GreginND]

We have a cold-hardy grape that hasn't been released yet (ES 5-4-71) that is so floral and aromatic, I don't need to even drink it. Just sniff, and sniff, and sniff. Too bad it's not quite hardy enough to survive because I love the wine I make from it.

 

[seth8530]

What a tease lol.

 

[Dugger]

Viognier is also very aromatic.

 

[Turock]

Same for Niagara.

 

[MDH]

Thanks everybody for your replies!

I have sourced some Niagara grapes, and these do have an excellent aroma - a lot like Concord.

I would like to try making a brandy out of these grapes with a commercial distiller I am affiliated with. We'll see where it goes.

As for wine with them... I think I would take a pass. Again, as others have stated here, the Gewurztraminer has taken that crown again.

 

[Ebonheart]

Not that I like the smell, but Noiret is VERY distinctive. Usually a black pepper and mint smell, but sometimes it even goes horseradish-like.

Agawam has a good nose, very labrusca-like, like a Niagara, but with spicyness to it as well.

And, of course, an old Reisling with that gasoline smell, about as different a nose as you can smell.

 

[berrycrush]

Gewurztraminer

End of thread.

How does it compare with concord?

 

[MDH]

Another update, I've also sourced Black Muscat. Wow.

 

[ReefKeeper]

How does it compare with concord?

It doesn't. Gewurztraminer makes excellent wine and is the most aromatic varietal. Concord makes great juice but leaves much to be desired as a wine in both aroma and taste. Concord does smell better than Niagara though.

 

[seth8530]

Wheew, that was about as scorching of a review of concord in general that I have ever heard.

 

[ReefKeeper]

It's OK, Concord's got thick skin (pun 100% intended). That being said, I don't think you can really compare Vitis vinifera to V. labrusca for wine quality. It's like comparing a Rolls Royce to a Daewoo. They'll both get you where you want to go. However, you might actually enjoy the experience in the Rolls.

 

[seth8530]

Sure, not a bad analogy ha. I guess it also really depends on just what kind of wine you intend to make too.

 

[MDH]

I tend to agree that while Concord is good, it's a little one dimensional next to other aromatic dark grapes. Dessert wines for ice cream, maybe. For dry I haven't had good experiences with it. The intense violet-strawberry character needs the sweetness. That being said, I'm always interested in developing something new just for the sake of it. Perhaps concord needs to be part of a bigger picture (A good blend of 3 or 4 varietals) in order to reach its full potential.

Any or either way, I am also somewhat involved with the development of products at a microdistillery and I would really like to see what Concord or Niagara are like distilled. Generally, since you are missing acidity, texture and so on when you distill something, the key is Aroma, so this knowledge is helpful either way.

 

[ColemanM]

MDH, what about frontenac blanc and Gris?


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[ReefKeeper]

Frontenac blanc is better than gris in my opinion but I wouldn't really consider either of them as aromatic varietals. If you can get some Brianna, it has all sorts of tropical fruit aromas... lots of pineapple and papaya. Briana tends to come in at low brix so plan on chapitalizing or making a low alcohol/lighter style wine.