What is the purpose of smell?
The human nose is a very sensitive organ and is often underestimated. For example, smell is a reliable early warning system for various dangers, such as smoke, dangerous fumes or spoiled food.
On the other hand, smells often contribute significantly to our sense of well-being, such as freshly washed laundry, a bouquet of flowers or a steak on the grill. It is almost logical that the sense of smell also plays an important role in tasting wine.
Like the appearance, the nose can also provide crucial information about the grape variety, country, production and age of the wine.
How can I smell more in the wine?
It is recommended to smell the glass more often and for a shorter time, so that fresh air can reach your nose. Swirl the glass gently to stir up the aromas. And above all: take your time, because different aromas are released at different temperatures.
A lesser-known fact is that we rarely smell equally well with both nostrils. Just as we are left- or right-handed, we have a dominant nostril with which we smell 70% of the time during the day. To relieve the dominant nostril, the weaker nostril takes over from time to time. You will notice this when tasting wine - you smell better with one nostril than with the others. It therefore helps to bring the dominant nostril further into the glass by bending your head.
A small experiment
Did you know that you taste more with your nose than with your mouth? You taste sweet, sour, salty, etc. with your tongue. Only when you use your nose and throat do millions of nuances come to light. You can test this: hold your nose with two fingers and take a sip of wine. Spread the wine well in your mouth - keep your nose closed. What do you taste? Nothing! Now take your fingers away from your nose and you will immediately notice the taste coming. This phenomenon is called retronasal perception.
What aromas can you smell?
There are almost endless different aromas in wine. Recognizing and naming them requires a lot of practice. When evaluating smells, there is no right or wrong - just an individual perception. The evaluation of smells has a lot to do with personal experiences and memories, such as the smell of grandma's fruit cake. Of course, there are also smells that have no place in a wine (sulfur, mold, cork, etc.). We will address such wine faults in other articles.
The typical smell of a grape variety
You can find a general overview of the different aromas in future articles. Here is just a brief overview of examples of information on the grape variety or the development:
Typical smells of grape varieties:
- Gewürztraminer – rosy
- Riesling – mineral, lemony
- Sauvignon Blanc – tropical fruits, green peppers
- Cabernet Sauvignon – red peppers
- Syrah – pepper
smell and development
- stainless steel tank – clear and fresh
- Large wooden barrel – spicy and slightly nutty
What is your favorite smell in a wine? Where do you still need to catch up? Is there a topic that particularly interests you?
