brunosdream

 

The Aroma Wheel
  Ann Noble, a professor at U.C. Davis, created this great tool to help people improve their ability to recognize different aromas that are present in wines. So many people get lost by the lingo that wine geeks use in their descriptions of wines. I think these descriptors might also freak people out a bit because it’s tough to identify these aromas. With a little training though you too can become a wine geek, or at least keep up w/ the pretentious types you may encounter at your local wine shops when they do a tasting!! The aroma wheel goes from general smells in the center then expands outward to more specific smells.  To do your tasting you’ll need a base wine that has very little taste and smell. A box of Almadin wine works well and isn’t expensive, or if you can’t find that use some other neutral jug wine. If you’re experimenting w/ identifying aromas in red wines use a red for your base, or white if you’re going for white wine aromas. Pour about 2 ounces of the wine in each glass you’re using. Then, for example, drop into each separate glass some clove, leather, tobacco, berries (fresh, frozen, or jam), pineapple, grass, citrus, honey, straw, tar, pepper or whatever you’d like to train your nose to identify. Be as creative as you want to be! Cover the glasses w/ something
for a few minutes to let the aromas strengthen, then have at it and
have fun! Smell your base wine to compare and contrast w/ your experimental concoctions. Remember don’t taste, just sniff, or you may get a mouthful of something that could trigger that gag response!!

  To buy a colored and laminated version of Ann Noble’s aroma wheel go to: http://www.winearomawheel.com/

Just do me one favor… Don’t turn into one of those pretentious wine snobs or I’ll have to slap you senseless if I ever see you at a wine tasting!
: )

“The Mayor”