Our advice Wine tasting SMELL: a second stage of wine-tasting.
SMELL: a second stage of wine-tasting.
| Our advice - Wine tasting |
In practice smelling the wine is divided into two stages:
Smell the first time (1st nose) leaving the glass still in order to determine the general character of the wine. One identifies the prime aromas which are those of the varieties of vine plants (eg. Box-wood for Sauvignon). They are influenced by the vintage, the soil and the climate.
Let the glass turn, then smell (2nd nose). This gesture allows the wine to be aerated and so to liberate the maximum of secondary aromas. These are the result of the fermentation and will give an indication of the fullness of the wine.
The tertiary aromas are liberated after about 30 minutes. One can recognise them in the empty glass.
The human nose is capable of identifying thousands of different scents. These are specified in a general manner in 10 categories; floral, fruity, vegetable, animal, mineral, balsamic, chemical, ethereal, spicy and empyreal.
You have appreciated the wealth of olfactory aromas of wine, so it is time to pass on to the third stage of wine tasting: TASTING.