For omnivores, the scent is unmistakable and for many, just as irresistible. From the smoky scents of cooking bacon and charred meat to the salty, tangy notes of saucisson, few things make the mouth water more. Finding such savory notes in wine can be alarming to the unprepared, and many never get used to the cognitive dissonance of fermented grape juice that smells like fried porchetta. For others, however, these aromas often possessed by older red wines are treasures to be sought and hoarded, or as the case may be, plundered. Certainly when married to cool, stony fruit or welded to ethereal, woody spices and berries, meaty flavors can offer quite a feast for the senses.

Tormaresca “Torcicoda” Primitivo Salento, Puglia, Italy
Luis Alegre “Vendimia Seleccionada” Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain
Sorby Adams “The Thing” Shiraz, Eden Valley, The Barossa, South Australia
Maison Arnoux et Fils “Jean Marie Arnoux” Vacqueyras, Rhone Valley, France
Man O’ War “Dreadnought” Syrah, Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Bien Nacido Vineyards Syrah, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA

This is part of an ongoing series of original images and prose called The Essence of Wine