Wine is well known for its incredible diversity of flavors. There are tens of thousands of compounds that contribute to each wine’s distinct fingerprint, and yet, flavor is the one thing winemakers have the least control over. Those seeking flavor concentration may lower yields, and those seeking fewer pyrazines may leaf thin and extend hang time, but at the end of the day, winemakers have very limited tools when it comes to shaping which flavors make it into the final wine. So before exploring individual flavors themselves, we choose to better understand their nature and how they fit into wine’s matrix. 

One of the key properties of virtually every flavor in wine is hydrophobicity, or the tendency to repel water. To put it simply, water is polar, and flavors are non-polar (like oil in water). They require alcohol as a solvent to remain in solution, which is one reason why de-alcoholized wines lose flavor before making it to the consumer. To better understand how hydrophobic flavors are we refer to their Log P values, otherwise known as the partition constant, which ranges from a scale of -3 (very hydrophilic) to +10 (extremely hydrophobic) (Cumming et al 2017). As you will see in the chart below, just about every wine flavor has a positive Log P value, indicating a degree of hydrophobicity. Why is this important to winemaking? Understanding hydrophobic interactions is key to unraveling some of wine's greatest mysteries and the key to harmonizing flavor and mouthfeel. 

In addition to alcohol, flavors will also interact with other non-polar compounds in wine. Tannins in particular are very hydrophobic compounds that when highly active can mute the aroma of wine giving it a closed aroma profile. This is very common amongst highly structured red wines, but this phenomenon also occurs with every wine style. This is because the majority of all phenolics in wine are Iron-Reactive Phenolics, and they are extracted primarily from the pulp. This means that non-astringent compounds in white wines, sparkling wines, and roses can also act as flavor-binding agents, the effect of which is just generally lower than for red wines. 

In general, a moderate amount of flavor suppression is a good thing. Wines that are too expressive jump out of the glass and can become dominated by a single characteristic. This is common amongst hot climate wines because they have little phenolic activity to balance aroma expression. These wines are often perceived as simple and lower quality because they also lack flavor concentration. Wines with moderate aroma suppression entice you into the glass and continue to evolve as they open up. 

When it comes to balancing flavors, it’s important to note that they also compete amongst themselves. Spoilage characteristics like Brettanomyces taint and cork taint (TCA) can suppress fruity esters and terpenes, a shift winemakers can detect even before identifying the spoilage aromas themselves. At these low levels, masked fruitiness may be perceived as increased complexity, but no winemaker encourages TCA because even at low levels it acts as a strong suppressor of our olfactory signals, clinging on and lingering in our noses and on our palates preventing us from smelling or tasting anything else (Takeuchi et al, 2013). 

Finally, alcohol and Iron-Reactive Phenolics are the key components that suppress aromas in wine, while volatile acidity is a key component that amplifies aromas in wine. This knowledge is exceptionally powerful when blending and shaping the different dimensions of your wine. It is important to note that a wine chemistry profile is insufficient for determining which lots are more closed or open. Enological analysis lends insight into the quantity of compounds, but we always accompany data with our palates because they are the only instruments that can provide a holistic assessment of wine quality. We, therefore, analyze the wine chemically and connect the dots organoleptically.