Loire producer re-releases ‘scratch and sniff’ label

A producer in the Loire Valley has had to change the scent on its scratch and sniff labels after the smell of “terroir” proved unpopular with the American market.

The scratch and sniff label offers the smell of flowering Chenin Blanc grapes

Domaine Bourillon Dorléans released what it claims to be the world’s first scratch and sniff wine label in 2011, offering the smell of the terroir where its vines are grown in Vouvray.

Speaking to the drinks business during a visit to the domaine last week, owner Frédéric Bourillon said his first attempt at scratch and sniff proved so unpopular in the US that he had to take the label off the market.

“I wanted to show consumers the smell I encounter every day when I walk among my vines – the smell of the earth, of the air and the vine leaves,” he said.

“The end result was a bit too earthy and strong in nature for the US market as it smelt a little like mushrooms, so I had to come up with another idea,” he added.

Keeping with the scratch and sniff theme, the estate’s second attempt conjures the small of flowering Chenin Blanc grapes and appears on bottles of Domaine Bourillon Dorléans La Bourdonnerie Vouvray demi-sec.

“I picked some Chenin grapes when they were flowering and sent them off to a perfume producer in Grasse, where they were distilled and turned into the scent that now graces the label using a silicone base,” Bourillon told db.

“The smell of the flowering Chenin grapes is proving a lot more popular than the smell of the Vouvray terroir. Ultimately, I want it to be like my signature on the bottle,” he added.