Vanilla is a result of oak aging. The wood acts as a seasoning to add flavor and texture to a wine.
Raspberry
One of the tartest red fruits, raspberry has a distinctive flavour and aroma that’s relished in desserts and confectionery. Given these characteristics, it’s more commonly detected as a primary aroma in ripe and fruit-forward red wines with medium to high acidity.
Butter
The term buttery describes wine with a rich, creamy texture with aromas or flavors reminiscent of melted butter or toasty oak. This characteristic is most often found in white wines, particularly Chardonnay, which is usually aged in oak barrels.
Secondary flavors
Toast
Depending on how much toasting the barrel has had, the flavours will differ. If the barrels have had light toasting, the toasty characteristics will be more subtle. As the toasting becomes heavier, the characteristics become stronger flavours:
Light Toasting – Cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, coconut or caramel
Medium Toasting – Coffee, cocoa, toast, caramel, vanilla or honey
Heavy Toasting – Vanilla, smoke, crème brûlée, butterscotch, toffee
Honey
The main defining factors of honey are its sweetness and its viscosity. Therefore as a tasting note it's often applied to sweeter wines or dessert wines, which are more syrupy in taste and density than other wines.
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