Hint: It involves wine.
Everyone may have their own deeply personal idea about what constitutes a romantic scent, but master perfumer Carlos Benaïm is an expert on the matter. When Maison Margiela tasked him with creating the newest addition to its Replica fragrance line, the nose turned to notes he associates with Provence, France, where he grew up: rose petals and rosé wine.
Benaïm reminisced about his favorite times spent in the South of France and pinpointed the aromatics most prevalent to those experiences: “We have access to beautiful roses from Turkey…especially special qualities of roses or patchouli,” he tells Fashionista. Though these classic notes are at the heart of Margiela’s new eau de toilette On A Date, there’s also one standout to which Benaïm attributes much of its individuality: blackcurrant liquor.
“I had worked on a flavor that reminded me of the wine fruitiness,” he says, adding that it makes for a “very unique combination.”
In order to achieve an authentic aroma of sweet-scented wine, Benaïm worked closely with master sommelier Manuel Peyrondet. The two partnered to create an innovative take on a rosé-y perfume, curating the notes based off of Benaïm’s memories of Provence’s vineyards growing up. When it comes to comparing the working relationship with a sommelier to one with a chemist, Benaïm tells Fashionista, “It’s very, very different, because we have different paths and concerns when we develop [a scent]…The world of scent [and] the world of taste are parallel routes.”
Maison Margiela touts the new perfume as “a contrast of unique aromas,” based off of its combination of red and rosé wines, in tandem with rose petal and bergamot essence. “You have the emblematic rose in perfumery there, and then the warmth of the luminous notes of the sun and the bergamot (citrus) and pink pepper as the top note,” explains the perfumer.
Photo: Courtesy of Maison Margiela
It’s the rose, says Benaïm, that makes On A Date the most romantic scent in the world. “[The] bright floral bouquet [with] rose is, of course, very important. It’s always the centerpiece, the symbol of love for many people,” he says. “It gives that feeling of sensuality and romance.”
Much of the inspiration for the scent has to do with Benaïm’s concept of an ideal date night in Provence. So what, exactly, makes for the perfect romantic evening, per the fragrance pro? It’s a particular setting, a memorable feeling and the right vibes: “In the south of France in Bordeaux, at the sunset, when you have that beautiful glowing light on people’s faces that makes everybody look so wonderful. That would be the ideal moment — with a glass of wine, of course.”
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Source: Fashionista.com
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