What do wine and music have in common? You might be surprised.

“Why can’t I smell pencil shavings or licorice in the wine?” “How can a wine smell like rose petals?” “Who writes these crazy descriptions?”

I get these questions all the time in the tasting room. My explanation is my own simple analogy. Training your nose to smell different aromas in wine can be like training your ears to appreciate music.

It’s akin to listening to a musical concert. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rock concert a classical concert or a jazz concert…the analogy is the same

You can enjoy it for just what it is, or you can really pay attention and listen. The more you concentrate the more you can pick out different melodies, different notes, different instruments, different voices and so much more.

Just as you can train your ears to hear and appreciate music, you can train your nose to smell different aromas in wine.

Right away people seem to get it when I use that comparison. It’s simple and it makes sense.

Cheers,
Barb

P.S. Last night I pulled a bottle of 2003 Gewurztraminer out of our library wines. I poured a glass and was engulfed in the bouquet of rose petals and litchi, ripe apricots and sweet spices. This wine was our first release and the beginning of my training…how much I have learned since then and how much more I have yet to learn.