The sense of smell is by far the most powerful of our senses. It can discriminate between tens of thousands of different aromas, and is capable of detecting some compounds found in wine at levels around a single part per trillion.
Smell:
Our sense of smell is critical in properly analyzing a glass of wine.
Smell or Sniff:
Tip the glass up and stick your nose in it and inhale. Some tasters claim that you can get more aroma by holding your nose an inch or so above the glass after swirling.
Smell wine. The scent of the wine is its most important part and property.
Smell: Smell is one of the best indicators of a wines quality. It is comprised of varying factors: the aroma, the bouquet and the nose of the wine. If off, it could indicate a bad or underage wine.
Smelling, or nosing, the wine
The sense of smell and the sense of taste are so closely intertwined that one could not exist without the other. For this reason, your nose can tell you a great deal about a wine before you even taste it.
Smell or "Nose"
Swirling the wine in the glass allows its aromas to be liberated into the air, so give your glass a whirl and then take a deep sniff. What are you looking for?
Smell the wine.
I like to do this step, but I still have problems when people stick their whole schnauzer in there like the guy from Sideways.
Off-smell/Off-taste: an offensive aspect of a wine, such as rotten egg (Hydrogen sulfide) odor, or an atypical aspect of wine, such as a Cabernet-Sauvignon wine smelling or tasting more like a Pinot noir wine, i.e. not true to type.
Smell and Taste
Have you ever tried desperately to detect flavor from a food or beverage when you had a terrible cold? You probably tasted very little, if anything at all.
Smell the wine
You must not hesitate to dip your nose deeply in a glass of wine. By developing your sense of smell, you become capable of associating aromas to the smell of wine.
Smell and taste are the chemical senses because their receptors are stimulated by chemical molecules, rather than by energy from light, pressure, or sound.
Smelling Wine
Smell
This is one of my favorite parts. Bury your nose into the glass - as much as possible without getting it wet! - and take a nice long whiff. Now take a moment and let your olfactory work.
Smell is the most important of our senses for appreciating and enjoying wine, for a very high proportion of what we "taste" is in fact smelled. Just recall how little you can taste food or drink when you have a cold or a stuffed-up nose.
Smelling Wine from the Middle of the Glass
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Smell of roasted nuts or dried out straw. Commonly associated with Sherries where these aromas are considered acceptable
Amyl-acetate
Smell of "fake" candy banana flavoring ...
Smelling of geraniums, an indication that the wine is faulty.
Grapy
The strong flavour that certain grape varieties, such as the Muscat, impart to certain wines.
Smells and tastes of grape stems or has leaf- or hay-like aromas.
Stemmy
Wines fermented too long with the grape stems. The taste will be bitter.
Smell of Hydrogen Sulfide gas in wine. Thought to be a characteristic imparted by certain yeast strains. A decided flaw.
ROUGH
(see also ASTRINGENT). Flavor/texture is coarse. Acidity and/or tannin are predominant and unpleasant.
If smells were colors, tarragon ("estragon" in French) would be dark, forest green. Its aroma is subtly reminiscent of anise, but licorice-haters need not fear: This is a delicate, complex aroma that pleases but does not overwhelm.
The smell of a young wine. Different from bouquet, in that Aroma is the smell that comes from the grapes, and bouquet, which takes time to develop, is the smell that comes from the finished wine.
The smell of a wine is part of the tasting experience, because smell and taste are closely related. It is interchanged with bouquet.
Attack ...
The smell of a young wine, slightly different than the wine's bouquet (see entry).
ASTRINGENCY ...
Mild smelling, bland tasting white variety used to make Muscadet in France, usually needs some pretty tricky winemaking contribution to turn out interesting wine.
Also known as, Melon de Bourgogne, Muscadet, Gros Auxerrois, Lyonnaise Blanche.
While smell is the most easily stimulated of the human senses, it is also the most fragile. Most of us have experienced detecting the aroma of cooking, maybe even from outside the house.
Stalky:Smells and tastes of grape stems or has leaf- or hay-like aromas.
Stemmy:Describes a wine with green flavors of unripe fruit or wood, frequently a result of a wine being fermented too long with the grape stems.
Earthy
Smell or flavour reminiscent of earth. This is not necessarily derived from the soil itself as it can be associated with minerals. A certain earthiness can be appealing.
Oaky: Smelling or tasting of the oak barrels or casks in which the wine was vinified and/or aged. Oak notes can include such elements as vanilla, spices (clove, cinnamon) cedar, smoke, toast, bourbon and roasted coffee, among others.
Nose:
Smell again !
Nouveau:
New, okay bottled as soon as possible.
Aroma. The smell of a wine. Some people use the term aroma for younger wines; bouquet for those that have been aged.
Astringent. Caused by acid or tannin, or a combination of both, refers to the mouth-puckering character of some wines.
Earthy
Smelling or tasting like dirt, or earth. A slight earthiness can be appealing; too much is coarse.
Earthy-Smell or flavor reminiscent of earth. A certain earthiness can be appealing; too much makes the wine coarse.
Elegant-Refined character, distinguished quality, stylish, not heavy.
Flavor
Smell and taste combined.
Flinty
A metallic smell and taste associated with wines vinified from white grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc that have been grown in particular soils.
Yeasty Smell of yeast from fermentation. On sparkling wines, indication recent secondary fermentation. Aroma of warm bread or brioche. Yeasts are micro-organisms which convert or ferment sugar into alcohol.
Aroma: Smell or fragrance from wine that has its origin in the grape -- as opposed to "bouquet," which has its origin in the processing or aging methods.
Stemmy: Smell and taste of certain wines, reminiscent of the vine, particularly the green stalks.
Still Wine: Wines without carbon dioxide bubbles.
Straw: Used to describewhite wine with a color like straw.
STALKY: Smells and tastes of grape stems or has leaf- or hay-like aromas.
STEMMY: Wines fermented too long with the grape stems may develop this quality: an unpleasant and often dominant stemmy aroma and green astringency.
The sense of smell and the sense of taste in humans and many mammals go hand in hand, the way we smell dictates how we taste. This is because the sense of smell and the sense of taste both have a role in how the brain perceives flavor.
BOUQUET: The smell that a wine develops after it has been bottled and aged. Most appropriate for mature wines that have developed complex flavors beyond basic young fruit and oak aromas.
The smell of the grape variety that carries over into the wine. It is most perceptible in Concord and Muscat grapes.
Astringent
A sharp, puckery taste in a new wine due to tannin (see that listing). Aging in cask or bottle is the remedy.
Buttery
A smell, especially in oak-aged Chardonnay, not a tactile sensation
Chewy
Wine with a lot of tannin and strong flavor ...
Aroma
The smell of a wine attributed to the grapes or fermenting.
Aromatic
Pronounced aroma, particularly those of herbs or spices.
Aroma
The smell of a wine. The term aroma is generally applied to younger wines, while the term bouquet is reserved for more aged wines
Ascorbic Acid
Usually called Vitamin C, it is used to combat oxidation of a wine.
Nose: The smell or bouquet of a wine. To 'nose' a wine is to smell it.
toasty
A smell of grilled toast can often be found in wines because the barrels the wines are aged in are charred or toasted on the inside.
Barnyardy: Smell of farm animals. Definitely negative.
Bite: A marked degree of acidity or tannin. An acid grip in the finish should be more like a zestful tang and is tolerable only in a rich, full-bodied wine.
Aroma
The smell of a wine. Usually refers to the particular smell of a grape variety.
Ascescence
It relates to the presence of acetic acid or ethyl acetate and is detected by a sweet and sour taste along with a sharp feeling on the palate.
Aroma
The smell of a wine. Fussy wine pros sometimes distinguish between aroma (the smell of young wines) and bouquet (more complex whiffs that come from bottle age).
Vanilla: The smell associated with wine that has been aged in oak barrels, from the vanillin in the wood.
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Honeyed
The smell or taste in wine reminiscent of honey and is characteristic of late-harvest wines affected by "noble rot."
I ...
Sniff: Start smelling the wine a few inches above the rim of the glass. Often people miss aromas by plunging their nose straight into the glass. Note the types of aromas, their intensity and harmony.
Barolo typically smells of tar and roses, and can take on an unusual orange tinge with age. When subjected to aging of at least five years, the wine can be labeled a Riserva. The initial nose of a barolo is often that of the pine tree.
The primary grape smells of a wine, distinct by variety, make up its aroma, while secondary characteristics, caused by factors such as fermentation and oak and bottle aging, blend with its fruit smells to form the wine's bouquet.
Always a flaw, the smell of a just-extinguished match suggests negligently excessive use of sulfur in wine making.
Web-weaving by Cliffwood Organic Works ...
sulphides, off smells reminiscent of bad eggs which can taint heavily reduced wine.
AROMA - The primary smell of the young wine, including its varietal aroma (the smell that the characteristic grapes bring to the wine) and its fermentation aroma (the smell that the wine making gives to the wine, such as barrel aromas, yeasty aromas, ...
A smell in wine similar to that of a barnyard, this can be caused by unsanitary winemaking conditions or by a yeast cell called Brettanomyces
Barrel Fermentation
The process of fermenting grape juice/wine in small barrels instead of large vats.
A sour or vinegary smell or taste. See also Vinegary.
Acidity. One of the basic savors in wine, providing crispness, vitality and sharpness.
Aftertaste.
" Corked used to describe wines which smell moldy or chemical due to contact with a moldy cork and are therefore undrinkable. Cote French for "slope.
Aroma: Refers to the particular smell of the grape variety, i.e. appley, raisiny, fresh or floral.
Assertive: Upfront, forward.
Attractive: A lighter style. Fresh, easy to drink wine.
 See also: Wine, Taste, Aroma, Grape, White
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