PalateMatch

The Banana, Musa sapientum, is a very common fruit tree from the tropics. It is native to Southeast Asia, but is now grown throughout the tropics. It grows in large bunches and the individual fruit or fingers are often know as a banana. They have a distinct aroma and some people maintain that the banana peel and fleshy inside edible fruit have different aromas.

Banana and Wine

Unlike Eucalyptus which can show up in wine due to its proximity to the vineyards, Banana trees rarely grow in the same region as vineyards. However, it is often reported in the aromas of white wines. It is most commonly found in red wines featuring the Pinotage grape varietal. I’ve also seen it mentioned in reviews of Beaujolais Nouveau.

Look for future reviews of Pinotage based wines as I look for the presence of Banana in wine. Do you know of any good ones to try?

Eucalyptus grows in warm climates and is native to Australia. Sometimes known as Gum trees. It is widely introduced into many of the wine growing regions of the world notably California, Chile, and Spain. The eucalypt character shows up in wine as the familiar menthol aroma associated with the oil from the plant. While researching this aroma, The VINEgeek, Jim Wilkerson of http://www.vinegeek.com/ pointed me at a couple of good articles on the subject.

The first, Gumming up the works, is a good discussion on the industry impact seen in different regions.

The second, Monitoring Eucalyptus Flavors, is a recent scientific study of the phenomena in California and determines exactly which chemical is responsible for the aroma in the grapes. It also suggests that the chemical is transmitted through the air into the grape skin.

With this in mind, look for reviews in the next few days of some wines that are good candidates for having Eucalyptus aromas present.

Have you detected Eucalyptus in any wine lately? If so, which ones?