Aromatic white wines are those that are considered to be very fragrant when
you smell the wine. They often provide lovely aromas of flowers and fruit. Common aromatic varietals include riesling, gewürztraminer, muscat, torrentez (from Argentina), albarino (from Spain), and gruner vetliner (from Austria). We tried all six of these varietals today, but the slightly sweeter muscat from Sutter Home eclipsed the drier styles of the others. Following are the favorites of the five Millennial wine judges.
***** (97, GOLD) Sutter Home Muscat, California, -$4
Lovely fragrant nose of roses and apricot, which carries through on the
palate. Sweet, dessert style wine. Great to drink alone, or with spicy foods. A run-away favorite of all 5 judges in this tasting.
**** (90, SILVER) Michel Léon Gewurztraminer, Alsace, France 2007 – $8
Peach and jasmine nose, with lychee and rose on the palate. Good acid and medium body. A pretty wine with silky floral notes. Rated gold by both Ali and Brandon.
How the Judges Scored the Wine
All the judges are millennials between the ages of 21 and 30 and are attending university. They have varying degrees of wine experience, but have been trained on how to use the Wine Tasting Evaluation form (see menu on How We Evaluate Wines). All judges complete the Wine Tasting Continuum Questionnaire and completed the PROPO test to validate their score in order to determine if they are tolerant, sensitive or hyper-sensitive tasters. Following are wine preferences of each judge:
Ally is from Novato, California. She scored a 3 on the Tasting Continuum and verified with the PROPO paper that she is a Hyper-Sensitive Taster. She prefers sweeter white wines, fruity reds, Champagne, and sparkling wine. Her scores were: Muscat = 20; Gewurtz = Gold-19.
Matt is from Sherman Oaks, California. He scored a 4 on the Tasting Continuum and verified with the PROPO paper that he is a Sensitive Taster. He prefers dark red wines with big tannins. His scores were: Muscat = 19; Gewurtz = Silver -17.
Katie is from Solvang, California. She scored a 4 on the Tasting Continuum and verified with the PROPO paper that she is a Sensitive Taster. She enjoys all types of wine with no preference of white over red, but selects wine based on the food and occasion. Her scores were: Muscat = 19; Gewurtz = Silver -18.
Kelly is from St. Helena, California. She scored a 1 on the Tasting Continuum and verified with the PROPO paper that she is a very Hyper-Sensitive Taster. She enjoys sweet white wines and fruity reds. Her scores were: Muscat = 20; Gewurtz = Silver -17.
Brandon is from Los Angeles, California. He scored a 4 on the Tasting Continuum and verified with the PROPO paper that he is a Sensitive Taster. He prefers sparkling wines, as well as smooth fruity reds. His scores were: Muscat = 19; Gewurtz = Gold-19.
SEE VIDEO OF JUDGES’S FAVORITE AROMATIC WHITE WINES AT: