Lesson 3: Can You Smell That?

Seabright Beach Santa Cruz California
I can definitely smell you in my heart

Ok hey everybody, happy hump day.  Yep its Wednesday, which for me is usually my Monday, and today is no different.  I figured since I missed my normal Saturday tutorial that I had started, I would follow up with Lesson 3 today, smelling a wine.  If we really think about it, this part of the experience could be the most important of all.  Really, I mean we can all probably look back in time and remember a wine that we thought was so good we didn't even want to drink it, but rather just be encompassed by it.  Champagne bubble bath anyone, haha. 
In all truth though smelling a wine correctly is extremely important to the whole of the experience of a wine.  And in all seriousness, which I promise to keep at a minimum, one of the best parts of drinking good wines is their great aromas.  Also this will be one of the easier lessons regarding wine, which is backwards because its one of the most important aspects. 
The fun thing here is that within reason there are no right or wrong answers here.  For example, lets take the Roessler Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir (8-31), and note that I smelled Red Cherry, Strawberry, and Cinnamon Stick.  Now you tasted it and smelled dried cranberries and clove; who is wrong here?  The beauty of it is no one.  Now if you had said green apples and black currants then I might give you the googly eye.  So remember to have fun with it.  All grapes/wines have profiles of what they generally smell/taste like.  As you taste and learn more you will inevitably get closer to being a great wine taster!

When I smell a wine I look for a few things in a few differents passes.  In the first pass I like to see if the wine is clean (no faults/taints) and how intense the aromas are.  Are they fruit forward or more subtle and nuanced?  Does the wine smell hot (climate indicator)?  On that first pass try and pick the most dominant fruit and the most dominant non-fruit (earth, floral, spice, etc).  Now on the second pass smell from a different part of the rim of the glass and try to confirm your aromas but also look for new ones.  It may take you a little while to get comfortable analyzing wines like this, but in the long run will assist you exponentially in finding wines you love.  Take this lesson and apply it to a small group of friends, its always a great idea to taste with people because you will find more flavors in each wine by bouncing ideas off each other.  Also don't be afraid to say what you smell, I find one of the biggest wine fears with people is being perceived as unintelligent or incorrect.  Who cares its all subjective and the ultimate goal is to drink wine that you love, so start smelling and smell you next time.  Salute!