Being “Nosey”

Let’s talk some more about the nose to glass. There was a time that our sense of smell was primarily for protection. But, today, the sense of smell for humans is one of the primary senses of pleasure.  In fact, many of the things we taste are a function of what we smell.  We can discern, in varying degrees, thousands of scents.  It stands to reason that the beauty (or not) of a wine begins with the scent (termed “the nose”) of what is in the glass.  Given the nuances we can discern, it makes sense that we give ourselves the greatest opportunity to explore what is in the glass through our nose.

There are many subtle aromatics, so the first thing to do is to sniff.  Then swirl (to liberate those aromas) and sniff again.  Let yourself identify what you smell.  Since we can only discern one aroma at a time, sniff, then identify, then push that aside mentally and sniff again.  What is that next aroma?  Really allow yourself to investigate.

Let me share a word about sniffing, strange as that sounds!  One of the fundamentals about the human sense of smell is that it attenuates the longer we smell it.  We grow accustomed to the odor and no longer notice it.  On the other hand, have you ever noticed how a dog sniffs on the trail of a scent or how a rabbit smells the air?  They do it in short, quick bursts to gain the greatest exposure and to allow the scent to be exposed to the nose.  So, when you swirl and sniff, make your sniffs short and quick or repeated long and deep sniffs.  Don’t expect to keep smelling and get more of the nuances all at once.  As it is, you will only identify one scent at a time.  Be curious – and explore what is in the glass.

Next time, I will give you a process to aid in identifying what is there.

Cheers!