Connoisseur Wine Masterclasses – Evaluating the Bouquet
After assessing the appearance of the wine it is necessary to evaluate the aroma or bouquet of the wine. By swirling the wine in the glass and breathing the aroma in deeply through your nose (which contains an olfactory bulb) you can get some initial impressions. Some wines have a very explicit, rich and complex bouquet whilst others are more subtle and difficult to detect aTo release the bouquet it is necessary to swirl the wine in the glass, thus making the wine come into the contact with the air. The less obvious the aroma spectrum and intensity of the wine, the stronger the wine should be swirled, thus combining the singularity of the bouquet with the air and maximising ones sensory perceptions.
When evaluating the aroma of the wine, you may be assured that the wine does not smell only of the grapes. The exception could be the wines made of Muscat grapes. (Incidentally, the initial check for experts, is to detect any flaws such as a cork tainted wine or other flaws).
The bouquet of quality wine is invariably complex (assuming we are using appropriate glassware such as RIEDEL) and may be reminiscent of many different smells!
Obviously the bouquet or smells we encounter on the nose will be evident also on the palate when we taste the wine. For example if we encounter a herbaceous or grassy bouquet,say,… from a Sancerre white wine or NZ Sauvignon Blanc,… we can expect a similar flavor sensation on the Palate.
