WINE LEES

Wine lees are the sediment associated with winemaking, including yeast and other material that settles out of the wine. In perfumery, they are more than a poetic reference: distilled wine-lees essential oil is a documented natural material. It can have a forceful fruity, alcoholic and wine-like character, with a slightly sulphurous undertone in some versions.

That concentrated material is not the same as pouring wine or raw sediment into a fragrance. Distillation separates an aromatic oil, which can then contribute to a perfume’s composition. It may reinforce a rose accord or bring a vinous accent alongside fruit and woods. The note name does not prove that a particular oil is present, since a perfumer can also interpret the effect through an accord. Nor must the result be dark, earthy or confined to the base: the chosen materials and their proportions shape its expression.