Tertiary aromas in wine

Quick answer: what are tertiary aromas?

Tertiary aromas are developed aromas associated with wine maturation and ageing. They often become more apparent as wine spends time in bottle, although the broader technical meaning can also include aromas developed during other maturation processes.

Unlike primary aromas, which are mainly associated with the grape, tertiary aromas arise as the wine changes. Fresh fruit aromas may soften, while new compounds form, earlier compounds transform and less obvious aromas become easier to notice.

Depending on the wine, tertiary aromas might suggest dried or stewed fruit, earth, leather, tobacco, mushroom, forest floor, nuts, honey, wax or savoury spice. Mature Australian Riesling, for example, can develop waxy, toasty and honeyed characters. Some Rieslings may also show petrol or kerosene notes associated partly with the compound TDN.

There is no reliable rule saying that tertiary aromas appear after a particular number of years. Wine develops at different speeds according to its grape variety, structure, winemaking, closure, oxygen exposure and storage conditions. Age alone does not prove quality.

Primary, secondary and tertiary aromas

The three aroma categories are best understood as a useful guide to where aromas come from, not as three sealed compartments.

Primary aromas

Primary aromas are mainly associated with the grape and its composition before fermentation. They may suggest fresh fruit, flowers, herbs or spices. Explore the broader idea in Primary aromas in wine.

Secondary aromas

Secondary aromas develop during fermentation or other winemaking processes. Yeast, lees and oak can contribute characters such as bread, toast, vanilla, smoke or buttery notes. The boundaries are not universally defined, so some maturation-related aromas may be classified differently in different teaching systems. See Secondary aromas in wine.

Tertiary aromas

Tertiary aromas are associated with maturation and ageing. A mature wine might still retain its original fruit aromas and winemaking characters while also showing developed notes. That layering is one reason older wines can seem more complex.

For a wider explanation of aroma and the difference between aroma and flavour, see What is wine aroma? and Wine flavour vs wine aroma.

What do tertiary aromas smell like?

The answer depends on the wine. These are useful examples, not a checklist.

Red wines

Mature red wines may show dried or preserved fruit, raisin, fig, earth, tobacco, leather, mushroom, forest floor or savoury spice. A wine may still smell of fresh fruit too; developed aromas do not necessarily replace every primary aroma.

Leather, earth and savoury notes need care. Similar descriptions can occur in wine affected by Brettanomyces, so one descriptor cannot prove that a wine is developing well.

White wines

Mature white wines can develop honeyed, waxy, nutty, toast-like or dried-fruit characters. In some Rieslings, bottle development may bring petrol or kerosene aromas. This is not guaranteed, and it is not automatically a fault. At a moderate level, the character may add interest; at a stronger level, it may dominate the wine and become less appealing.

Sparkling wines

Sparkling wines can develop bready, biscuity, nutty or toasty characters through lees ageing and bottle maturation. Because those processes overlap, it is more useful for a beginner to call them maturation-related characters than to insist on one perfect category.

Fortified wines

Ageing in fortified wines can produce nutty, caramelised, dried-fruit, honeyed, spiced or savoury impressions. Some fortified styles intentionally develop oxidative characters, but that does not mean uncontrolled oxidation in every table wine is desirable.

How does ageing create tertiary aromas?

Ageing is not a single process. Oxygen exposure can influence chemical reactions, but tertiary aromas are not simply “oxidised aromas”. Bottle development also involves other transformations, including changes to volatile compounds and reactions that can occur under relatively low-oxygen conditions.

A wine’s composition matters. Acidity, tannin, alcohol, residual sugar, phenolic material and the aromas present when the wine is young can all influence how it develops. The closure, bottle condition and amount of oxygen entering the bottle also matter.

This is why two wines of the same age can smell very different. One may retain fresh fruit and acidity alongside developed aromas; another may have lost freshness or developed a fault. Does wine improve with age? explains why age and quality are not the same thing.

Australian storage matters

Australia’s warm conditions make storage particularly important. Wine kept in hot or unstable locations can change faster and may lose freshness prematurely. Avoid leaving bottles in cars, sheds, roof spaces or sunny windows, where temperatures can become extreme.

For everyday storage, choose somewhere:

• cool rather than hot;
• dark rather than brightly lit; and
• stable rather than repeatedly warming and cooling.

There is no universal ageing timetable for Australian wine. Outcomes vary with the variety, vintage, structure, winemaking, closure and storage history—not simply with the country on the label.

Bottle-aged Australian Riesling is a useful example because its development can be easy to recognise: youthful citrus and floral notes may sit alongside, or give way partly to, waxy, toasty and honeyed characters. That does not mean every Australian Riesling will develop in the same way.

Tertiary development or a fault?

A mature wine can be enjoyable, neutral or faulty. Tertiary aroma is not a synonym for “good ageing”.

During a tasting, ask whether the wine has developed complexity while retaining freshness, balance and structure. Dried fruit, tobacco, earth, mushroom, honey, wax and savoury notes may be part of sound development, depending on the style and your preference.

Also consider other explanations:

• Excessive oxidation may bring loss of fresh fruit, bruised-apple, nutty, maderised or prematurely aged characters. Learn more about oxidation in wine.
• Volatile acidity can smell vinegary or solvent-like.
• Cork taint may suggest damp cardboard or mould.
• Brettanomyces can contribute medicinal, smoky, spicy, sweaty, cheesy or barnyard-like characters. Read What is Brettanomyces?.
• Reduction can produce sulfur-related aromas such as struck match, rubber or cabbage. See reduction in wine.

These aromas can overlap with everyday tasting descriptions. “Leathery” does not automatically mean mature, and “nutty” does not automatically mean oxidised. Consider the whole wine rather than diagnosing it from one word.

How to taste for tertiary aromas

Try this simple approach:

1. Smell the wine before swirling, then smell it again after swirling.
2. Note fresh fruit, floral or herbal aromas first.
3. Look for developed references such as dried fruit, earth, tobacco, nuts, honey or wax.
4. Ask whether the wine still has freshness, acidity and structure.
5. Consider faults separately rather than calling every non-fruit aroma tertiary.
6. Describe what you find cautiously: “This wine shows developed notes of…” is better than claiming that one aroma proves the wine’s age.

A wine can show all three aroma groups at once. The categories are there to help you communicate what you notice—not to make you pass a chemistry exam.

Frequently asked questions

Do tertiary aromas mean a wine is old?

Not necessarily. They are associated with development and maturation, but there is no universal age at which they appear. Storage, wine composition and winemaking all affect the result.

Are tertiary aromas always desirable?

No. They may contribute complexity, but age can also reduce freshness or reveal faults. Whether a developed character is desirable depends on the wine’s style and your preference.

Is oxidation the same as tertiary aroma?

No. Oxygen can influence ageing, but tertiary development involves more than oxidation. Excessive oxidation is a separate fault or style-related condition.

Can young wine have tertiary aromas?

Aromas associated with maturation can develop during processes other than long bottle ageing, and aroma categories overlap. It is safer to describe a wine’s character than to use age as proof.

For more tasting practice, see How to taste wine and What is complexity in wine?.