Wine Basics: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Aromas and Flavors in Wine

Many people (including myself) use these terms when describing wines. Recently, a subscriber politely told me I was using the terms incorrectly and that got me thinking I should do a video on these terms. In the general sense:

Primary: aromas and flavors that come from the grape variety itself (typically fruits and flowers).
Secondary aromas and flavors: derived from the winemaking process (bread, brioche, oak)
Tertiary aromas: develop as wine ages (leather, truffle, cigar box, tobacco, cedar and mushroom)

But the grey area is that some wines may be have a tobacco aftertaste because of the grape varietal or the winemaking process and not the age of the wine. So just saying a wine has developed tertiary flavors tells you very little about the wine.

I just wanted to demystify these terms. Hope I clarified instead of adding to the confusion!