The Science behind Wine and Smell
Immediately before the wine enters the mouth we will perceive the higher volatiles of the fruit flavor and bouquet invading our sense of smell. Watch very carefully for this bonus smell opportunity. It appears as though we unconsciously take a breath before placing things in our mouth and at this time we inhale some of the more prominent odors.
Regardless of the method of appraisal, it is worth remembering that too little wine will not allow for a worthwhile appraisal, while too much wine will prevent the mouth from warming it sufficiently to release an increased amount of volatile substances.
What do we actually smell?
Here we run into three complex difficulties:
- Physiological — What can we really smell? Do not be influenced by others.
- Psychological — What do we anticipate or expect?
- Linguistic — Do we have the language resources to convey our sen sory perceptions?
In the first place we are smelling a colored liquid and trying to relate this to some common everyday commodity so that we can communicate our experience. It is easy to say that a flower smells like rose when we can see or feel a rose, but we are looking at a glass of wine, not a rose. (By way of in terest, Singaporeans are the only culture able to consistently identify rose fragrances — Caucasians are very poor at recognizing what one would think is an obvious smell.)
And what about the garlic eating cultures of the world? Is this smell so ingrained that they can’t smell two of wine’s major faults — mercaptans and H both smelling somewhat similar to garlic. Certainly New Zealanders living near the famous Rotorua thermal fields are immune to the wine destroying odor of hydrogen sulfide, a natural product of the local geysers.
And what expectations does a French person have when smelling an Argentine wine — or a Moslem breaking the faith in favor of ‘la dolca vita’? Can a top quality Argentine or Australian product cross these formidable cultural barriers and be accepted in their own right?
Having determined what we think we can smell, it then becomes necessary to communicate our perceptions to others or there is no chance of elevating our appreciation of any art form.
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