Sometimes a glass of wine can sound like a bowl of fruit salad, so fruit forward is description, other times like a cowboy—so smoky, leathery and savoury the flavours. And, well then, there are times that wine can be just plain weird. Here are some of the more off-colour terms explained.

Cat’s Pee

This distinct scent can often be found in Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Colombard, Sémillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It’s said that this thiol is also found in actual cat urine. At low concentration the thiol has an inoffensive fruity odour, but it’s the higher levels that it starts to become unpleasantly feline.

Onion skins

onion skins, and also sometimes garlic, aromas are produced by a sulphur compound called dimethyl disulphide. This occurs when the process of reduction happens to a wine (basically, the opposite of oxidation).

Mice

This mousey flavour compound can be a side effect from lactic acid bacteria, so can sometimes be a problem problem during malolactic fermentation. The chemical reactions can result in the mousey compounds of amino acid lysine.

What are some other weird wine terms? Let us know in the comments.