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Rotundone: The Spiciness in Wine
2 minutes readAug 15, 2024Lotte Gabrovits
The dimensions of different wine styles we can get on a global perspective are huge.
There are sweet wines, dry wines, fruity wines, herbal wines, rustic wines, and earthy wines and those are just a few of many. But today we want to discuss nothing less than rotundone, the spiciness in wine.
Rotundone is responsible for the black pepper taste in wines (Credit: Alexis Antoine, unsplash.com)
Rotundone is a compound found in essential oils like black pepper, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. It has interesting abilities.
But the fascinating fact is that its precursor α-guaiene can be found in the skins of some grape varieties' berries such as Syrah and enzymatic oxidation during fermentation extraction of rotundone can take place.
A lot of research was done especially at the AWRI (Australian Wine Research Institute) and though one has found out quite a lot, an even bigger part of the rotundone cake is still a mystery.
The compound is apparent in the vines to protect them from herbivores, pests, predators, and fungi, and at the same time, they attract insects for fertilization.
What we also do know is that climate is very much affecting the amount found in grapes with cooler climates showing bigger amounts of the precursor.
Further studies at the AWRI found that differences in soil and topography are key factors in rotundone accumulation.
Why does this sesquiterpene attract so many scientists one may ask?
Well, it is quite obviously linked to a wine's peppery taste, and the astonishing fact is you do not even need high amounts.
Just imagine an Olympic-sized pool of water. Put in one drop of rotundone and you have a whole pool that tastes completely of pepper.
Coming back to grapes here some varieties have naturally more of this precursor than others and one that is famous for its peppery taste is Syrah.
To get a little taste of rotundone we have created a tiny list of wines that will give you the peppery kick.
Enjoy!
Lotte Gabrovits
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