Is wine sniffing for real. Or just a pose?!
Is wine sniffing for real. Or just a pose?
Can you actually identify aromas and the locations where the grapes were actually grown?
Answers:
YES, you can actually identifiy aromas! Locations are another thing.....and that DOES require a bit of knowledge.
Let me explain.....
I agree with a little bit with everyone here on many levels. In terms of AROMA only......not location.... This requires a heightened 'sense' with both smell and taste. Not everyone has this - even 'trained' people who are educated about wines - each person varies based on how sensitive they are to everything.
When I went wine tasting, it was interesting to see how some people who have been taking in the bouquet for years, sometimes missed certain things that newbies didn't.
The human body changes daily.....not just aging, but our senses change. That's why some of the foods you used to like as a kid, you hate now and some of the stuff you hated before you actually eat. Sorry - this is the only analogy I have for this, it's not the best, but it's the only way I can convey what I am saying.
Wine-tasting is similar.... we wake up on certain days and based on our current health, or hormones or whatever, we can smell certain things or taste certain things better than others.
I'm not formally wine-educated at all, and some would balk at what foods I pair wines with, but sometimes, I can actually pair certain foods to 'bring out certain aromas and flavors' in the wine I am serving with food.
Try an experiment yourself, at home. Take a red wine....any wine.... any vintage - swirl, inhale, sip. Write down what you smell and taste. Bring out a variety of different things to eat with it - an assortment of cheeses, nuts, pate, dark chocolate even... and after each item, taste the wine.
You'll notice 'different notes' come out you did NOT experience when you had the wine alone.
All of a sudden your senses have 'changed' a bit... you can pick up different aromas, fruits, spices and such. Your palate is heightened to a different level.
Try this same exact experiment the next day. Watch it be different. These 'results' are not spot accurate each time.
See what I mean? So it depends on the person.....each person, not just what they are trained/educated in terms of viticulture, or being worldly, or heck, even on days when you are under the weather, or had a good solid 8 hrs. sleep - each day is different.
:)
Have you seen the noses on some of these guys? They're bigger than their faces... And scientists have discovered a strong connection between smell and memory.
smell is in direct proportion to taste. That is why many regular people go through this ritual. You can pick up different aromas like fruits, spices, the wood of the barrel used to age the wine. As for the grape and regions, some of your more well-learned somoliers can definately do that, but they for the most part have been trained.
Kindofki's answer is perfect but you also smell to find out if the wine might have a cork in order to return it.
Wine can give of different characteristics after it is opened and has had a chance to oxidize. It is possible for someone to develop tasting skills. That being said, some people have very sensitive noses from birth and can pick out subtleties in wine during the tasting process. You don't have to be a sommelier to enjoy wine, but knowing a little bit about how to taste it ie swirl sniff, taste, enhances the experience of drinking it.
check out the following:
www.andreaimmer.com
or
www.wowws.com
Just don't sniff the cork. That is a pose. Inspect the cork. does the name match the name on the bottle. Is the cork brittle or falling apart? That may indicate that the wine has been oxidized and is now past its prime.
Skilled sommeliers -the folks who really understand this stuff- can tell a lot by sniffing the "bouquet" (the smell) of wine as it sits placidly in your glass. For the rest of us, all we can really tell is whether it has turned to vinegar.
That said, a lot of folks go through the motion of a sniff-test either because they think they can tell something, or they wanna impress someone -or its just plain fun. And for some, a snoot full of the aroma just before a sip of that nectar adds a little something.
But for most of us...
This is why I long ago learned to say, "Gimme a cheap red wine."
Wine sniffing is for real. You don't even have to be a wine snob to sniff wine and appreciate the aromas. Some people are trained and can identify more accurately what they are smelling. However, smell is a very important part of enjoying all food....including wine.
For more info on how to taste wine (including the sniffing part) visit: http://www.cheers2wine.com/wine-tasting....
Both, but it depends on the nose!
Tell where they're grown? I can't, but I can usually tell a Cab from a Merlot from a Pinot Noir from a Zinfandel.
There are subtle aromas in wine, as flavors, and to some people it's quite obvious, but I don't know if iI'd ever want to be that much of a wine tekkie!