I have to be honest, I am totally fascinated by people who can smell wine and produce all sorts of quasi-poetic descriptions of all the different scents they smell/taste. As for myself, I continue to be a complete noob at this sort of thing, as I struggle to spot even what others describe as the most evident smell in bold and medium reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. For example, I can't seem to spot the base of red or black fruit aroma that is ubiquitous in many wines... well, because to me it doesn't smell like raspberries, cherries, or blackcurrant [etc.] at all, but rather like something different altogether. The list goes on...
So, unless the only dominant note gives a clearly defined impression, such as that of leather as in Sangiovese, oak as in Rioja Reserva, or petroleum as in Mosel Riesling, I find myself pretty much clueless as to what the wine smells like and how to register this smell in my memory for the future.
Anyway, to cut long story short, I would like to improve my nose in terms of detecting distinct aromatic characteristics from a bouquet. I found this kit that was apparently made for this very purpose of training the olfactory perception.
http://www.winearomas.com/master_kit.html
What do you think of it? What other advice, besides trying many more wines (I'll probably become alcoholic if I do so ), can you share that can help to get better at smelling and describing wine? Do you have any special techniques that you employ in your evaluation of wine? Any books that you can recommend?
Thanks a lot!
So, unless the only dominant note gives a clearly defined impression, such as that of leather as in Sangiovese, oak as in Rioja Reserva, or petroleum as in Mosel Riesling, I find myself pretty much clueless as to what the wine smells like and how to register this smell in my memory for the future.
Anyway, to cut long story short, I would like to improve my nose in terms of detecting distinct aromatic characteristics from a bouquet. I found this kit that was apparently made for this very purpose of training the olfactory perception.
http://www.winearomas.com/master_kit.html
What do you think of it? What other advice, besides trying many more wines (I'll probably become alcoholic if I do so ), can you share that can help to get better at smelling and describing wine? Do you have any special techniques that you employ in your evaluation of wine? Any books that you can recommend?
Thanks a lot!