Citrus Fruit -
Aromas and Flavors of Wine

There are many times that you taste a wine and know that it tastes "citrussy" but can't identify the particular type of citrus fruit. Citrus fruits include orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, and grapefruit. That tart, juicy flavor is usually found in white wines. In actual citrus fruits, the citrus tang comes from Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid.

As an interesting side note, Vitamin C disappears very quickly in orange juice. So a container of OJ in your fridge that is 3 weeks old has far less Vitamin C in it than a brand new container does.

The Wines with Melon Flavor

Chardonnay often has a generic citrus flavor, and sometimes has more specific flavors of tangerine, lemon and lime. Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio can have citrus, grapefruit and lemon flavors. Rieslings from Germany have a grapefruity flavor. Viognier has a generic citrus flavor to it.

Vouvray, which is based on Chenin Blanc, often has a lemony flavor to it. On the sweet end, White Zinfandel has a very light citrus flavor to it.

All About the Flavors of Wine