Sense of Smell

Understanding your senses: Smell

Smell of the wine is described as Aroma and Bouquet. An aroma is described as the smell of the grape or young wine. Bouquet is usually associated with the more complex aromas that develop in the bottle. Nose is a tasting term for the aroma or bouquet of the a wine – the “nose” of the wine.

The human nose perceives smell on one side at a time. Try it. Smell with the right nostril and then smell with the left nostril. You will see that at different time of the day you will smell best from different nostrils.

Examples of Aromas are often described as single words like apple, peach, flinty, etc. What about thinking about aromas in terms like these: fresh baking bread, my grandmother’s fresh apple pie at Thanksgiving, smoked meat, mushroom sauce simmering on the stove…

Smells are associated with our memories. They remind of things past. I think it adds to the comfort of a glass of wine. As you nose your wine, think of descriptors from your past that are fond memories and record those memories into your wine journal rather than a string of non-related words.