Wine and cat pee: a great pairing?

I know what you’re thinking. How could we even talk about wine and cat pee in the same sentence, in the same paragraph? How could these two things be apart of the same story? Surprisingly, cat pee and wine, can be a good thing. Well not actual cat pee (whew right?) just it’s aroma. I know most of us can’t stand the smell of cat pee anywhere let alone in wine, which is why I found this so fascinating. I had to investigate this crazy pairing.


First of all how does this work? Let’s start at the beginning: wine aromas. How are aromas created? The chemical compounds in the grape and the terrior (the land) react to create an aroma. These aromas vary based on a number of factors such as, the grape, the region, the climate, the wine maker’s technique, etc... And different combinations of these factors result in the distinct taste of wine. So how do we get to cat pee? Well, it’s only found in one varietal and only in a few regions. More importantly, what’s the chance you’ll encounter this elusive cat pee essence? Well if you are drinking a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or France…there is a very good chance.

The cat pee characteristic is usually developed in young, less ripe grapes in cooler climates and in mineral driven soils such as limestone and sandstone that are found in the Marlborough region of New Zealand and the Lorie valley in France. Some other unpleasant yet descriptive words for this same aroma are armpit sweat, musty, canned asparagus, snow peas and green beans.

I know this still sounds crazy but not only is this characteristic unique it’s also very popular. It is the core aroma of New Zealand’s world-leading sauvignon blanc according to a six-year study by a team of lucky wine scientists. The scientific team spent more then $12 million dollars defining the flavors of the country’s most popular grape varietal. They concluded that cat pee, sweaty passion fruit and asparagus created the winning combination.

I’m pretty sure that most of us think this is crazy but apparently the Kiwi’s love it and according to some experts, the phenomenon is catching on. Who knows, soon enough you might be drinking and enjoying cat pee.



by Jennifer Guran
contributors: Wes Kollar & Elyse Guran