Perfume, aroma and bouquet Primary, secondary and tertiary; so they develop Perfume, aroma and bouquet: before a wine is tasted on the palate, the eye and, above all, the nose can reveal much about it. The aromatic complexity of a wine is usually defined with three major groups of perfumes which give a lot of clues about what we are drinking. The primary perfumes are those which come from the grape variety. All grape varieties, some more and some less, are distinguished by their precise perfume - a sign which identifies the variety. The secondary perfumes are those which derive from the winemaking processes, especially fermentation. Depending on the qualities of the grapes and the proper working of the transformation of sugars into alcohol the aroma may be substantially enriched, but there may also be a negative influence on the organoleptic qualities of the wine. These are called 'puzzette' in Italian - bad smells - marked odours of flour, yeast or rotten fruit indicate that things are not going as they should. If fermentation is good it will heighten fruit, flower and fragrant odours, depending on the grape variety. The tertiary perfumes are those linked to the maturing of the wine. They are formed during ageing in wood and, later, in bottle in the absence of oxygen. It is these which form the bouquet of the wine, as with a bunch of flowers, a mix of complex perfumes with different scents and subtleties.