Wine Today

publication date: Nov 1, 2008

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author/source: Michael J. Bryan

By Michael J. Bryan

The sense of smell is key to unlocking wine’s delicious complexities. The maxim “love at first sight” takes a back seat to the aromas that stir one’s interest.

Drinking wine is a mindless, hedonistic pleasure – one of the reasons it ranks number one in our social beverage of choice. Tasting wine, however, requires focus and concentration and involves four of our senses. The senses of sight, touch, and taste combine to assess a wine’s age, concentration, alcohol level, and balance. However, our sense of smell is the over-riding factor in our enjoyment of wine. Being conscious of smells is new for most of us, but consistent, repetitive usage will sharpen this important sense.

“Nosing” the wine provides our first glimpse of the taste to come, creating expectations, and stimulating the mind. An expressive wine builds excitement, a muted one disinterest. Given the anatomical relationship of nose and mouth, it’s no surprise that what you smell is decidedly what you taste. With the help of our nose, simple tastes of sweet and sour morph into familiar flavors such as bing cherries. Tasty wines that greet us with a volume of aromatics are not only more intriguing, but easier to assess.

Next time you grab that chalice of wine, take a moment to swirl and sniff. As smell is most closely linked with memory and emotion, you might be surprised at your first thoughts!