One of life’s great, mysterious pleasures can be encountered on a temperate summer evening in certain places in the world, when from out of the darkness, comes the incredible scent of flowers on the night breeze. The universe of fragrant white flowers contains an amazing array of enchanting scents — tuberose, jasmine, acacia, gardenia, orange blossom, and lilly of the valley are just a few sources of these aromas, whose dynamic range spans angelic delicacy and raw, powerful sexuality. Such scents make regular appearances most often in white wines — both sweet and dry — but also, occasionally reds. Their presence, even as the barest trace, can transport us into vast landscapes of fantasy and memory. Close your eyes and take a sip of paradise.

Kiralyudvar Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos, Tokaj Hegyalja, Hungary
J.L. Chave Hermitage Blanc, Rhone Valley, France
Tselepos “Mantinia Tselepos” Moschofilero, Mantinia, Peloponnese, Greece
Venica & Venica “Ronco delle Mele” Collio Sauvignon, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Matthiasson White Wine, Napa Valley, USA
Susanna Balbos “Crios” Torrontes, Cafayete, Salta, Argentina
Takasago Ginga Shizuku “Divine Droplets” Junmai Daiginjo Sake, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
Weingut Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett, Nahe, Germany
Castagna “Genesis” Shiraz Viognier, Beechworth, Australia

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