After making thevisual analysis, the next step is theolfactory analysis of wine. Develop or train the olfactory memory is very important for tasting and communicate a wine.
Just smell everything that comes along, such as during a walk in the countryside or at home, trying to memorize hundreds of different scents. This exercise, which can also be done through special tools, allows you to create your own important olfactory memory vocabulary and to refine more and more the fragrance sensitivity.
The scent of wine is certainly an important indicator of wine quality. And it is relative to the intensity and to the persistence of scents.
To be evaluated, for the purpose of proper description and wine communication, are the following parameters:
- perfume intensity, given by the set of sensations perceived simultaneously
- complexity, that is, the variety of odor nuances present
- quality, which summarizes the judgment of the wine's olfactory characteristics
Even the adjectives used to describe the scent, while not rigid and binding, distinguish ten basic groups of odors recognized by scholars:
- animals
- balsamic
- woody
- chemists
- spicy
- ethereal
- floral
- empyreumatics
- fruity
- vegetables
This "macro classification," then, is followed by the detail of the individual odorous nuances, which recall odors found in nature in other elements or products (flowers, fruits, spices, vegetables, tobacco, chocolate).
The intensity and persistence of wine aromas.
The intensity is an important descriptive element of a wine, which is followed by the highlighting of those smells immediately recognizable. To denote the set of scents that have formed during fermentation and aging the French term bouquet.
The intensity of wine aromas refers to the sensations that are felt simultaneously and add up to one another. This can be said to be a vertical aspect.
While scent persistence is a horizontal aspect, which refers to the succession of scents that are released from the glass over a longer or shorter period of time.
The quality of scents.
La quality olfactory is analyzed by going to select the fineness of scents, their agreeableness, the typicality.
Based on all the sensations felt, a wine can be:
- Ordinary wine, if it has a poor aroma that does not arouse pleasantness
- Fine wine if it has pleasant aromas, arousing pleasantness.
- Excellent wine, if it has very pleasant aromas
The olfaction of wine.
The act involving odor perception is olfaction And it can happen in two different ways:
- by the direct route, by nasal inhalation-the direct route involves the introduction of about 100 ml or cc of air in which odors are dispersed. Most of the air goes to the lungs to supply them with oxygen.
- Indirectly, retrospective, that is, when the wine is in the mouth-the inhaled air originates vortices, after swallowing, that send more air, with the odors it contains, to the olfactory mucosa (and less to the lungs), which is why it is smoother and more sensitive than the previous one and allows the perception of lower concentrations of odorous substances. This is because inside the mouth there is no odor interference, which, on the other hand, may be present in the environment in which one drinks the wine.
Le retronasally perceived odorous substances are commonly referred to as aromas, while the term fragrance is reserved for odors perceived directly.
Primary, secondary and tertiary scents.
I scents of wine are divided into three main groups:
- Primary scents - these are all those scents that come directly from the type of grape (Muscat, Malvasia, etc.).
- Secondary scents-which result from winemaking, both during crushing and during fermentation (the floral)
- Tertiary scents-which result from aging and ripening (spicy, anise, cinnamon, clove)
The various types of fragrances Of the wine that can be perceived are:
- The aromatic
- The floral
- The fruity
- The herbaceous
- The Spicy
If you want to become an expert in the field, discover the master organized by Italian Food Academy at Viticulture and Wine Marketing.
