AROMA 2: CLOVE
Aroma 2 is CLOVE.
A distinctive, exotic, spicy aroma. The smell of so many Christmas treats, from oranges studded with cloves to scent a steaming pan of mulled wine, or adorning a sticky festive ham. Ground cloves are an essential ingredient in gingerbread, plum pudding and stollen cake.
Clove oil has anaesthetic antibacterial properties, explaining its historic use in dentistry.
The terpene Eugenol is a major component of the smell of spicy, woody smell of clove. This compound is present in raw oak and is intensified as the wood becomes well seasoned. Heavily toasting the oak will also enhance the concentration of this compound, which then finds its way into the wine. If you've ever smelled a spicy, clove, nutmeg or cinnamon aroma in wine, then you're probably detecting Eugenol and hence can be pretty sure you're dealing with an oak aged wine.