Grape

Grape is the fruit of the vine and belongs to the vitaceae family. It comes in the form of bunches made up of numerous berries. Grape originates from Asia Minor. In France, it was François 1er who brought grapes to the tables of Fontainebleau. White grapes have light colors ranging from green to yellow, even golden yellow. As for black grapes, they display red and purple colors that can go as far as violet-black. In perfumery, grape is reproduced through the combination of different molecules.

Grape, a note with multiple facets

Depending on the grape variety chosen, grape offers multiple fragrances. They can be sweet, tangy, bitter, juicy, sharp... Raisins can also bring other, more candied notes. It must be said that the grape note is little used in fine perfumery. In principle, grape tends to appear in feminine fragrances and fruity fragrances, as in Innocent Rock by Thierry Mugler. Here, grape is paired with lychee in the top notes. A surprising blend of boozy fruit notes with black pepper and red rose... Innocent Rock, which certainly has a rock spirit, is intended for rebellious women. Grape expresses itself best when it meets other fruits, as in Zen White Édition by Shiseido. Here, grape, again in the top notes, is accompanied by apple, peach, lemon, and also blackcurrant. The heart notes, meanwhile, are entirely floral, with rose, lily of the valley, freesia, and gardenia. Finally, the base displays amber and woody notes. Zen White Edition is a fragrance with multiple facets, surprisingly cheerful.

Grape and its pairing with other olfactory families

Grape is little exploited in perfumery, so not all of its pairings with other olfactory families are known. Apart from fruity and floral notes, grape pairs with oriental fragrances, as in 1881 Cerutti by Cerutti. Here, grape sits in the heart notes. It pairs beautifully with olive leaf and Sicilian mandarin. This fragrance is a very luminous, velvety, and thoroughly sensual floriental. Another incredible pairing for grape is when Serge Luttens created Fumerie Turque. A spicy-oriental fragrance that is part of the Les Somptueux collection. Currant grape sits in the top notes, accompanied by jasmine and honey. The pairing of grape with tobacco and oriental spices offers a fragrance that tells the story of an ancient journey.

White or black, grape is a widely consumed and much-loved fruit. Reproduced synthetically, grape notes are little used in perfumery. They are mainly found alongside floral and fruity fragrances. Yet grape does sometimes turn up in oriental fragrances, where it pairs particularly well with spicy notes... A fruit worth discovering.