Malaga sommelier turns wine into perfume

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Luis Manoja from Torremolinos has created six fragrances inspired by the notes and nuances of great wines from various countries

Marina Martínez

Friday, 24 April 2026, 14:29

Sauvignon Blanc, passion fruit, bergamot, lime and grapefruit. Nuances on the palate. But what about as a fragrance? Can you imagine wearing it as a perfume? That's exactly what Luis Manoja thought. With over 30 years of experience and a nose trained to detect aromas, the sommelier from Malaga realised he could translate all those landscapes and colours of wine into a bottle of essence - a perfume that would capture all those notes.

He has succeeded, although not overnight. After five years, he has been able to create six products that he starts marketing next week under the brand Somm Parfum (short for sommelier).

The desire to offer "something different"

"It's interesting that Spain is the European country with the lowest spending on perfume. In general, it's not valued as much as other things. Nowadays, everyone smells the same. We go to the two or three large perfume chains and everything is very standardised. I wanted to do something different. I remembered those 'handkerchief wines' created by the gentlemen of Jerez who used to soak a handkerchief in wine and I imagined translating all the notes they offer us, and above all their landscapes, into perfume," Manoja says.

"More than one person has already told me I'm crazy, but then they admit it's something cool." He says this with excitement about a very personal and ambitious project, yet with the trepidation of someone opening up a whole new world for both perfumers and winemakers.

"They are two worlds that are fundamentally very much related, from exclusivity to the notes on the nose: top, heart and base in perfume, and primary, secondary and tertiary in sommellerie," Manoja says. "I don't know how it will go, I am a little worried about whether there will be an audience, although some messages I've already received are enouraging."

Where can Manoja's perfurmes be purchased

Manoja will be selling his perfumes by reservation and online. All can be explored at www.theworldofsomm.com. From the aforementioned Sauvignon Blanc, which reflects that "slowly ripening grape that ends up being tropical", to the smoky, even charcoal and tobacco notes of Islay Scotch whisky. The best way to experience it is to smell it in the glass and then sprayed as a perfume.

The same is true of Barolo, from Piedmont, with notes of cherry, rose petals and truffle; Pinot Noir and its nuances of cherry, roses, raspberry and violet; Sherry Solera, with its saline touches, toasted almond, hazelnut and oxidised wood; or the Portuguese Vintage Port and those memories of black cherry, ripe plum, dark chocolate and aged wood.

"Every wine is unique in the world, its essence determined by a landscape, a terroir, a particular light, a specific rainfall… That's why the aromas of the world's great wines are unique," Manoja says. It's no coincidence that Somm perfumes are released in numbered limited editions, "just like bottles of wine".

They come in 50-millilitre bottles for between 140 and 400 euros.

One year of work per fragrance

Some winemakers have already placed orders upon hearing about Manoja's perfumes, but he says that it takes him a year to make just one. He creates them himself, carefully selecting the wine and studying all its nuances, notes and aromas. Then, he takes it to the laboratory, which is ultimately responsible for bringing it to fruition, analysing variables ranging from the wine's development on the skins to its oil concentration.

Not all wines can become perfume, nor do they all possess the necessary nuances. Only the great ones. Manoja has aimed high, for those top labels and terroirs. After all, his nose and his memory are capable not only of smelling them, but also of recalling them with all their nuances. He has been tasting wines for three decades.

Manoja teaches in the mornings at an accredited centre in Fuengirola and in the afternoons (sometimes even evenings, as she has students from Latin America), online at the Réchaud Hospitality Service School - the high-end gastronomy service school he founded more than a decade ago on Calle San Miguel in Torremolinos.

His school is like a sommelier museum. Alongside the bottles of wine from all over the world, there's a collection of professional tasters (also known as tastevins), vintage utensils and framed press clippings from moments throughout his career. These range from those documenting his various awards, such as the Nariz de Oro, to the last interview SUR published last summer . Let's hope this one, too, finds its place in that 'hall of fame'.