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WINE connoisseurs really do need a good nose. Researchers in France believe
the principal difference in flavour between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines
comes from the smell of a single ingredient.

鈥淢erlot is generally considered to be softer textured and somewhat fleshier
than Cabernet Sauvignon,鈥� says the British wine writer Michael Schuster. But
Alain Bertrand and his colleagues from the University of Bordeaux have found
that the real distinction is less romantic. They say the difference is all down
to a compound that smells of caramel called
4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one, or HDMF.

Bertrand, an analytical chemist, asked 17 wine tasters to smell six Merlot
and three Cabernet Sauvignon wines, all chosen for their 鈥渋ntense and
representative aromas鈥�. The experts rated each of the wines for the strength of
12 different aromas, including plum, rose and coffee.

The experts could only spot one difference between the two types, Bertrand
found. The Merlot wines tasted significantly more of caramel than the Cabernet
Sauvignons. Gas chromatography was used to identify any caramel-smelling
compounds. Levels of one such compound, HDMF, were four times as high in the
Merlot as in the Sauvignon, leading the researchers to suggest that it is
responsible for the difference in flavour.

Schuster believes it will never be possible to define the taste of a wine
purely by the chemicals it contains. 鈥淥ne of the great fascinations of wine is
precisely the huge spectrum of subtle taste variations which are there if you
care to look for them,鈥� he says.