03/09/07 Wine Smells

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. I was asked recently what were some of the characteristic smells of Cabernet Sauvignon as opposed to Merlot or Pinot Noir. Big question for a short program but we will give it a try. When we describe wine initially, we tend to identify what it smells like. As I have told you many times, our ability to perceive flavor comes primarily from our sense of smell. The differences between Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir should be evident. When you first lift a glass of any of these red wines to your nose I hope you will smell some kind of fruit rather than vanilla. You see the scent of vanilla is coming from the oak barrel the wine took up residence in during the production. To me personally that is not what the wine is about. The wine is about the fruit. If a winemaker wants to have so much vanilla that it overpowers the fruit, then I get the impression they don't care about the fruit. In the case of Cabernet Sauvignon you may smell blackberries, cherries and black currants. It is usually the bigger more tannic of the three wines we are addressing. Where Merlot is quite reminiscent of blueberries, olive, black pepper and even mint. It is usually less tannic and softer wine than Cabernet. Finally, the Pinot Noir may have scents of strawberry, raspberry and spice and is likely to be lighter in color and have crisper acidity. These wines are different even amongst themselves when made in different styles in different parts of the world. So let's celebrate the difference. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot not and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.