Term
Pyrazines
PEER-uh-zeens
The green in the glass
Methoxypyrazines smell of bell pepper, tomato leaf, and boxwood. They are the signature of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc — and a flaw when a red did not ripen.
Sunlight on the fruit zone degrades pyrazines; shade and cool years preserve them. Loire Cabernet Franc and Bordeaux in a cool vintage wear them as pencil shavings. Unripe Napa Cabernet wears them as salad.
In Marlborough Sauvignon they are half the point (with thiols as the tropical other half). In Carmenère they are the risk.
Green is a descriptor, not a verdict. Say whether it is pretty green or underripe green.
