The vocabulary used to describe wine aroma is commonly organized according to color, raising the question of whether they reflect the reality of olfactory perception. Previous studies have assumed this convention of color-aroma matching, and have investigated color’s influence on the perception of aroma only in dyed white wine or in red wine from particular places of origin. Here the aromas of 48 white and red varietal wines from around the world were evaluated in black glasses then in clear glasses by a panel of wine experts. As wine color was made visible, ratings for green fruit, citrus fruit, and stone fruit generally decreased among the red wines and increased among the white wines, while the opposite occurred for red fruit, dark fruit, and oak. The dependence of these aroma descriptors on visual input suggests their usage is more cognitive than perceptual. The influence of color was indirectly evident even in black glasses: three oaked Chardonnays were rated highly in red fruit and dark fruit, relative to the unoaked white wines, suggesting the judges here associated oak with red wine and consequently used oakiness to deduce wine color before rating the aromas believed to be appropriate. Findings suggest color-driven descriptors, used when wine color can be seen or surmised, do not foster objective assessments of wine aroma.