This is thought to be due to the presence of certain small acid molecules in the juice from the berry. Indeed, especially for those whose who are unfamiliar with gooseberry, we can hardly over-emphasize the sourness of unripe gooseberry - your mouth puckers and your face distorts with the violence of the acidic sensation. People with sensitive palettes find this sour sensation to be too strong for them even in a ripe gooseberry. It is this sour sensation which gives the characteristic crispness and clean-in-the-mouth sensation which is the hallmark of Pouilly-Fuissé and other wines made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes.
The big contribution from pure taste receptors in the mouth makes creating an aroma standard for gooseberry much harder than for any of the other categories as we rely on the pure smell sensation. The world of berry aromas is dominated by large numbers of relatively small molecules called esters. A vast number of combinations are possible with these esters and these combinations can give rise to myriad berry smells. In some berries, blackcurrant and grapefruit are notable examples, there is, at the heart of the aroma, one of the exceedingly powerful smelly molecules which we call a KIO (Key Impact Odorant.) However, the fresh and crisp aroma from gooseberries is made from a congenial mixture of esters, and so we have had to develop a complex mixture of molecules to provide the distinctive Gooseberry note that is represented by the Aroma Standard in the Aroma Academy Wine Aroma Kit.
See our Wine Aroma Kit for more information.