Tertiary aromas: aromas of maturation

The standard

An aroma origin in maturation assigns a note to time: only when a note comes from ageing or storage and not from grape or fermentation does it count as tertiary.

Criteria

  • The note is absent in the young wine and appears only with maturation
  • It arises through ageing, storage, oxidation or esterification
  • It overlays or replaces fruit and fermentation aromas
  • Its appearance requires time, not an addition

Distinction

Tertiary aromas ≠ primary aromas: these come from the grape. Tertiary aromas ≠ secondary aromas: these arise during fermentation. An aroma origin in maturation separates both from the group that comes from time and from bottle ageing.