A NOSE FOR WINE
The nose provides us with a great deal of useful information about wine, whether we're evaluating it in a professional setting or simply out of personal curiosity. Much of the pleasure we derive from wine is thanks to our nose. Far more than you might imagine...
To obtain as much information as possible, we have to release all of the wine's aromas. We do this by swirling the glass vigorously, but steadily. Putting the wine through a spin cycle that demolishes its aromatic molecules won't do us any good.
"The nose reveals many of the differences that distinguish wines of, let's say, standard quality, from wines of distinctive or superior quality."
Generally speaking, at a professional tasting, we have to identify two types of aromas in the same wine: one tells us about the wine's condition and the other tells us how the wine has evolved, depending on the variety, vinification and aging (known as primary, secondary and tertiary aromas).
THE CONDITION OF THE WINE
The nose is our best ally when it comes to detecting potential flaws in a wine; in other words, evaluating its condition. Is the wine in good condition? Is it oxidized? Is it corked? Does is smell like vinegar? The list goes on.
I will briefly go over the most common flaws you might come across, although that is not to say that in small quantities these may not add a certain fascinating "je ne sais quoi" to the wine.
TCA or "trichloroanisole" is a contaminant. Does the wine smell like old wet cardboard? This might be due to TCA contamination, either of the cork or the actual barrels at the winery. The wine might still be "drinkable," but it will lack the fruit and freshness one might expect to find.
The smell of "rotten eggs." Sulfur is present in all wines, but at high levels resulting from, for example, excessive and poorly managed REDUCTION, it can produce a very unpleasant odor of rotten eggs or a clogged drain.
Keep in mind that low-level reduction in a wine may contribute very pleasant and complex notes, which many describe as "mineral".
OXIDATION is the opposite of reduction. It is easy to identify visually, because oxidation turns the wine a more intense, brown color. Goodbye fresh, racy wine. Fruit aromas will be noticeably absent, and you'll feel like you stuck your nose into a world of toffee, honey and caramel rather than wine. That being said, what some consider a flaw, others see as a virtue. To each their own.
VOLATILE ACIDITY Does the wine smell like vinegar? Or solvent perhaps? To be fair, all wines contain some volatile acidity, but when present in excessive amounts it sours our senses. In very low quantities, however, it results in a seductive, fragrant and complex wine.
Those well versed in the matter might recognize the term Brettanomyces, better known as BRETT among friends. A whiff of horse sweat, stable, raw leather, vinyl? Like I said before, a flaw to some, a virtue to others.
HOW WINE EVOLVES ON THE NOSE
Now that we know the wine is in good shape, and we have discarded those bottles that weren't, it’s time to stick our nose in the glass. Really go for it, don't be shy!
So as not to get lost during the olfactory stage of our tasting, let's start by organizing the main aroma types into three big groups:
PRIMARY AROMAS. The inherent aromas of the grape variety. Fruit and floral, the type predominantly found in young wines. Put simply, fruit and flowers serve as common descriptors here.
SECONDARY AROMAS. The aromas resulting from how the grapes are made into wine. They derive from the winemaking process (except for aging) used at any given winery. The most common and easily identifiable aromas in this group include dried fruit and nuts or butter (derived from malolactic fermentation) or yeast, bread or pastries when the wine has been in contact with its lees.
TERTIARY AROMAS. Finally, the aromas imparted by barrel and/or bottle aging. Depending on the type of aging, we talk about two different complementary processes: reduction and oxidation. We refer to a reductive process (the absence of oxygen) when discussing long bottle aging. Reduction transforms fruit into jam and, as if by magic, brings forth flavorful mushroom and vegetable garden aromas.
By contrast, barrel aging subjects the wine to the slow process of oxidation caused by the effects of oxygen. This results in sweet aromas, coffee and chocolate, as well as the notes imparted by the oak itself (vanilla, coconut or toasted bread).
Put simply, a "young" wine could be described as displaying a predominance of primary and secondary aromas.
If the predominant aromas are clearly tertiary in nature, we're dealing with a mature wine. Even though hints of fruit or freshness might still crop up here and there, the wine is past its prime.
However, a wine that is still evolving, that is neither young nor mature, may still reach its peak, that coveted moment when fruit and oak, intense spices and creamy malolactic notes are in perfect balance.
Cheers!
