Aromatics is a sort of ''catch-all'' term to cover white grape varieties that don't see any oak in their making and in which the aromas are an integral part of the wine, writes wine columnist Mark Henderson.
Gewurztraminer, pinot gris and riesling are classic examples of aromatics, as for that matter, is sauvignon blanc.
Today's tasting features renditions of the first three varieties mentioned above, along with a relative newcomer to these shores, the Austrian white grape gruner veltliner.
This latter variety may be difficult to pronounce, but as this example shows, it is not at all difficult to drink.
My regular helpers, Ricky Collins and Alastair McLaren, ably assisted me: the wines were tasted blind, bracketed by variety.
Price: Around $11
Rating: Fair to good
Gentle nose of pear drops with a touch of lime, and then sweet pears with aeration. Good texture on the palate on entry, limes again, with a zesty crispness; heat coming through on the finish, which shows a slightly sour edge. Straightforward, clean and well made. Tidy for the money.
Price: $26
Rating: Very good
Ripe pear with honey hints and a touch of chewing gum on the nose. Rich in the mouth: a whisper of citrus among the pear notes. A nice freshness to this: texturally rather nice and with good length. Fruit sweetness but finishes dry.
Price: $42-45
Rating: Very good
Quite subtle nose with a hint of perfume: rather closed in at first. Considerable aeration allows the stonefruit and bubblegum notes to open up. Rich and weighty with vinosity rather than overt fruit at first; stonefruit, pear and pineapple comes later with a peppery astringency. A bit of a slow burner.
Price: $23
Rating: Excellent
Spicy, with lime cordial and juniper berry on the nose. Rich and rather flavoursome palate with apple, peach and peppery nuances. Good mouthfeel; nicely balanced with good acidity giving freshness leading on to a long finish. Fruit sweetness but relatively dry. Tasty and delightfully different.
Price: $21
Rating: Good
A game-of-two-halves wine. Powerful nose with Turkish delight and old roses: rather appealing. Gewurz oiliness on entry with Turkish delight again evident but just falls off slightly on the palate. Soft and gathering heat with a touch of stonefruit-kernel astringency on the finish.
Price: $75
Rating: Very good to excellent
Another game-of-two-halves wine. Somewhat shy nose with citrus, kero and mixed spices followed by an explosion of flavour on the palate. Incredible unctuousness with spices, roses, and orange peel at first, then ripe citrus/mandarin. Great complexity and a long, oily finish lifted by freshening acidity.
Price: $27
Rating: Excellent
Crisp; this almost smells dry. Apples with a hint of spiced honey rising. Bracing acidity but it works well with the fruit weight of the wine. Mouthfilling: the green appley notes evident again with nice texture, fine and dry. Lipsmacking and delightfully so. This would be great with Friday night fish and chips!
Price: $33
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Quite closed on the nose at first with apples and a whisper of honey. Coaxing allows this to blossom. Just lovely on the palate with the flavours rushing in: apples, honey, fruit sherbet then bush honey with a combination of honeyed sweetness and acidity giving balance. Concentration of flavour and excellent length: just delicious.
