what is the difference between bouquet and aroma
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
Both terms refer to the scent or smell of a wine, composed of hundreds of volatile compounds derived from the grape, the fermentation process, and aging (either at the winery in tank or barrel or later, in bottle). Tasters tend to use "aroma" both in the broadest sense to refer to any and all odors, and also more specifically to those found in a young wine. Bouquet in tasting parlance is commonly reserved for older wines, recognizing as everyone knows that wines change significantly with time. Most wines are intended for fairly early consumption - within a few years of release - and tend to deteriorate thereafter. A minority improves with keeping, and this elite tier includes the most famous and expensive bottlings. When a wine is young, tasters usually describe its aroma with references to fruits: raspberry, plum, currant, etc. The bouquet of an older wine, at full maturity, no longer displays pronounced "fruity" characteristics; instead, the nose could be marked by leather, nuts, and spice notes. The greatest wines, properly cellared, offer an amazing range of scents. In short, whatever word you use, the aromatics of wine can be astonishing!
