This Aroma/Flavour type can be very subtle in wine and you may typically experience an overall impression of the kind of freshness, lightness and airiness you associate with melons, along with the slightly green-watery freshness you associate with watermelons.
When we speak of lightness and airiness we can think of the Chardonnay wines, with their crisp, green refreshing aromas, where a number of citrus aroma notes and other allied fruity notes are prominent. So it is no surprise to find that some experts are definite on a melon nuance in this family of wines - others being less sure. The soft and mouth-watering melon type aromas come from a family of relatively small aroma molecules. The aromas are typical of watery fruits such as melons, water-melons, and cucumber. There is an overlap with many of the aroma molecules in the citrus category, and both categories have in common the invaluable property of giving a clean and fresh aroma impression.
The particular melon aroma molecule we have chosen for the Aroma Standard in our Wine Aroma Kit is one of a family of melon aldehydes - and if you get it at exactly the right concentration, it will provide a delightful experience.
Further sniffing and introspection will lead you to conclude that you have encountered this type of aroma note somewhere else other than melons or wine. The answer is, it has become fashionable for perfumers to use this aroma molecule to impart an aura of watery melon freshness to perfumes. As with wine, the level of the melon-like molecules in the perfume is such that what you will perceive is an entrancing freshness with a faint fruity tinge, but you will probably not be able to definitely identify it as a melon!
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See our Wine Aroma Kit for more information.