Why it’s ok to differ in terms of wine smell and perceptions
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. Verbalizing our sensory experiences is the short cut to greater pleasure. But that is easier said than done, without lots of practice. Many modern day wine lovers have the same tongue tied problem. ‘I know what it smells/tastes like but can’t explain it!’ is an all too frequent response.
Winelovers must start somewhere — here and now is a superb time and place to start correctly articulating our experiences. The fear of making a mistake is possibly the main cause of reticence for the tyro taster, so let me hasten to assure you that even the most skilled professional is capable of, and makes regular goofs.
It is perfectly normal for perceptions to differ from one person to another. We, ourselves, are the only ones who are experts in our own perceptions — if we see red as red/brown and smell chardonnay as grapefruit when others experience apricot, lime or melon, then these are our personal judgments. Where there is no absolute, I think your personal judgment is objective, not subjective as many people like to say. The very reason that there are so many wines on the market, and new styles appearing daily, is that winemakers and marketers wish to provide for all tastes. If there were but one common taste there would be but one common wine.
Just to prove that you have nothing to fear about articulating your smell experiences, have a look at some of the more regular answers we receive to our tests with common fragrances:
Strawberry has been called: Peach, cherry, vanilla, musk, cough medicine, apple juice, jelly beans, rose perfume, chewing gum, caramel, chocolate, mango, pineapple, apricot.
Ginger has been called: Soap, three-in-one oil, turpentine, pine-gum, grass, gasoline, onion, rancid butter, lemon, citronella, moth balls, cedar, oil of cloves.
Apricot has been called: Hard candy, mango, pineapple, Hawaiian punch, peppermint, strawberry, shampoo, orange, gingerbread.
Lychee has been called: Musky, cedar, banana, caramel, strawberry, marzipan, toffee, coconut, fairy floss.
Conversely, there is not one fragrance in our repertoire of more than 50 common smells that has not, at sometime, been called strawberry.
So it’s worth repeating — I believe, we all perceive fragrance quite differently and one person’s meat can easily be another’s poison.
One Hour Canada
21 Degrees One Hour
Boonstraonehour
www.fortunacooks.com
Related Websites - Buying Wine in Restaurants Ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant can be confusing and even daunting. Many times, what little information available is incomplete or even wrong. To make matters worse, not many restaurants have a wait staff that is knowledgeable about the wines in question, leaving them to be of little......
- How to make an excellent risotto with red wine WINE RISOTTO [/caption] I like to make risotto with wine. Depending on the wine it will get an incredible purple color as you can see from the picture. I have to say that the best would be with amarone, a full bodied wine produced close to Verona. The drying......
- Collecting Wine Label Art Drinking a glass of wine is one of those luxuries that can quickly grow into an obsession with wine bottles, wine varieties and even wine labels. The more that you get into wine collecting, the more you are going to want to document all of the wine experiences that you......
- It's Not a Depression if We Don't Make It One With all the new recent serious talk again of a Great Depression (or just a "Depression") now that confidence seems to have totally dissipated in regard to the economic stimulus projects (not that they won't work - but just that they might not work soon enough, and the ensuing debt......
