08/27/07 Aroma Wheel

Welcome to Vine to wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we are discussing the descriptions used for wine and the reference developed to identify them. As we have discussed many times in the past the wine descriptions we read are the authors attempt to let us know what the wine is like or identify similarities and basic characteristics to items whish are familiar to us. A process for honing in on these smells developed by UC Davis Professor Anne Noble is now a famous tool  the Aroma Wheel. It is as the name intimates a circular chart dividing the smells emitted by wine into several categories. Those categories are then focused into categories that are more specific until the participant narrows it down to an ultimate description. For example a description of a Chardonnay as lemony and having notes of green apple come from the smell of the wine. The initial smell was likely fruity. The participant asks; what kind of fruit? Citrus. Okay, now what kind of citrus and the conclusion is lemon - not lime or orange or tangerine. The Aroma Wheel actually guides us through the process of finding the most accurate description of the wine. Of course, we must have a background or some reference to recognize the smell. For example if you really have never smelled eucalyptus, you would not likely identify it - or you may relate to it as a cough drop. The point being the guide is only as good as our ability to relate to the smell. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.