100 Wine Blogs, 100 Days Blog 45: Can you drink a glass of wine without a nose?

Blog 45 Can you drink a glass of wine without a nose?

For some reason, I was not only born with a huge sense of smell, but smells can make me actually sick. When I worked as a nurse, I went on rides with the fire department; I would take bets on what was burning when we went to a fire. Whether it was electrical, carrots on the stove, or paper burning, I would be able to guess it.

With wine, if I can’t smell the wine in the glass, I cannot enjoy the taste of the wine. The nose is part of the enjoyment for me and a soapy or dirty glass drops the enjoyment by about 75%. I even feel that I can guess where some of the wines come from, for instance, sometimes I can tell the Martini from the Cuvaison and which winery a wine may have come from in California. Some of the wineries have distinct smells that come up in their wines. Even though there are different grape varietals, I can smell a distinction between wineries.

I don’t think my nose knows what nasal fatigue really is. I think that if someone is wearing heavy perfume or have a strong odor; it can affect the taste of the wine. A very aromatic food can disguise what the wine tastes like. There might be too many smells surrounding the glass while you are trying to distinguish what scents are in the wine.

I prefer to taste wine in the morning first thing. Even brushing your teeth can affect the smell or the taste of the wine. Eating food and then trying the wine can also change the nose on the wine. When I plan my winery tours, I go to the wineries that I feel are the best in the early morning, if they can fit in the schedule that way. However, it does not stop me from doing a late afternoon tasting in one of my favorite wineries.

Many wines open up after you swirl them for a while or wait for a time to capture a better release of the true aroma of the wine. I like to try to distinguish the more complex aromas as the wine settles into its glass.

If you have trouble distinguishing what aromas you smell in the wine, you can purchase a smell kit. It helps you to train your nose to know what different scents may smell like in a glass of wine.

Tell me what you think! I want to hear from you! Give me your thoughts!
Bon Vin!
Veronica