Black Pepper Compound Discovered

Filed in archive Wine Making on August 4, 2007

I love wines that have a hint of black pepper! But, just as with many of the delicious scents and flavors that come across in red wines, it's a mystery where it comes from. That is, until now. It was thought to be related to climate, but now it seems that a group of Australian scientists have identified the compound that gives wines this scent.

From The New Zealand Herald:

The aroma, often found in fuller-bodied wines made from shiraz or cabernet sauvignon grapes, was until now assumed to be linked with climate.

Certain wine-growing areas, such as the Barossa Valley in South Australia, seemed to yield reds with that characteristic.

But the discerning noses of scientists at the Australian Wine Research Institute have produced a different story.

The fragrance, they say, emanates from a single compound, known as alpha-ylangene, and previously unrecognised.

Will this become something winemakers start to experiment with, or will they continue let the grapes develop into wines with minimal intervention? Time will tell.