Over the course of the past few weeks, I have put on a number of wine tastings at Stonehedge Inn. It was after this last one that I felt it may be beneficial to point out what types of smells to keep a nose out for while taking part in a glass of wine. I will delve into this in greater detail on this topic for an article for the Telegraph, however I think this should provide a good starting point.
According to the renowned Oenologist Emile Peynaud there are nine principle categories of wine aromas:
1) Animal odors: smells of game, beef, venison, etc.
2) Balsamic odors: smells of pine trees, resin, vanilla, etc.
3) Woody odors: smells of oak from new barrel aging
4) Chemical odors: smells of acetone, yeasts, sulfer, acidity, etc.
5) Spicy odors: smells of pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc.
6) Empyreumatic odors: smells of crème brulee, smoke, toast, leather, etc.
7) Floral odors: smells of violets, roses, lilacs, jasmine, etc.
8) Fruity odors: smells of black currants, raspberries, cherries, grapefruit, etc.
9) Vegetal odors: smells of herbs, tea, mushrooms, vegetables, etc.
All of these odors are caused by the presence of esters that are found in and on the grapes during fermentation and bottle aging. These same ester combinations are found in the odors labeled above and thus lead to the similarity in smell.
It becomes a fun game to try to name some of the smells in which you encounter while enjoying a glass of wine. The next time you partake in a glass, try it! Give the wine a nice whirl and then get your nose in there! Think about smell experiences you have had in the past and see if you can pick up any of those aromas in your wine. I think you will start to understand why wine is so interesting once you take on some of these habits.
Until next time, Cheers!
