Why Some Wines Smell Like Tropical Fruits

If you’ve ever smelled a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, you’ve smelled thiols (“thigh-all”, rhymes with “style”). These are the aroma compounds that smell like grapefruit, guava, passion fruit, and yes, sometimes cat pee.

(Shown are guava, passionfruit, & grapefruit aromas) Drawing by Anna Sprenger

What are thiols?

Thiols are odorous compounds that contain sulfur. Our understanding of thiols is a recent development in the wine world…