| You've seen it - those wine connoisseurs who | | | | tannins in their wine. Developing a smell and taste |
| sniff a wine before drinking in an attempt to | | | | for wine is why many old people choose to join a |
| judge its character. Do you ever wonder why | | | | wine of the month club. |
| they do this and if it can really reveal the quality | | | | Younger people are typically more sensitive to the |
| of a wine? This article provides a look at how the | | | | acid and tannins in wine in addition to other |
| nose knows and why wine experts and wine | | | | sharper flavored foods and drinks. When anyone |
| clubs choose to take a big whiff when tasting | | | | bites or chews on food, chemicals are released |
| wines. | | | | that travel into the nose, triggering olfactory |
| How The Nose Knows | | | | receptors that send taste messages to the brain. |
| Wine experts taste a wine with their noses first | | | | This mirrors the job of the taste buds on the |
| and their tongues second so they have more | | | | tongue. |
| time for analysis. Smelling a wine segments and | | | | Gender And The Sense Of Smell |
| prolongs what would be an immediate first | | | | Women have a more highly developed sense of |
| impression through taste. Before drinking a wine, a | | | | smell than men do. Some scientists believe this is |
| winemaker, wine connoisseur, or wine of the | | | | a survival instinct. For example, a prehistoric |
| month club selection committee member brings | | | | woman who smelled smoke would have enough |
| the glass to his or her nose. Some prefer to turn | | | | time to gather her children to safely flee an |
| their head to the side, exposing one nostril to the | | | | oncoming forest fire. While this is a dramatic |
| aroma of the wine while others aim both nostrils | | | | example for the process of tasting wine, experts |
| straight into the glass. Taking a deep sniff of the | | | | believe that smell does play a role because more |
| wine before tasting intensifies the taste of the | | | | women belong to wine clubs and purchase more |
| wine, allowing the taster to fully experience the | | | | wine and than men do. |
| wine. | | | | Tasting Wines |
| The Connection Between Aroma And Taste | | | | Other than sticking their noses into a glass, wine |
| To understand the contribution the nose makes | | | | experts and wine of the month club selection |
| to the sensation of taste, all you need to do is | | | | committee members also slurp wine in their |
| hold your nose closed while you eat or drink. You | | | | mouths, holding the length of their tongue against |
| will notice your taste sensations are seriously | | | | the roof of their mouth, freeing the sides of the |
| diminished when you cannot smell. Both the nose | | | | tongue. This is because the taste buds that focus |
| and the mouth together are necessary for the | | | | on the flavors sweet, salty, sour, and bitter are all |
| most intense sensations of taste. A rush to drink | | | | located on different parts of the tongue. Sour |
| and swallow a wine is an incomplete way to | | | | receptors are on the sides of the tongue and |
| analyze or appreciate it. That is why wine experts | | | | bitter receptors are at the back of the tongue. |
| and wine clubs make sniffing a priority in choosing | | | | By adjusting the placement of the tongue, |
| wines. | | | | experts can evaluate the flavors of a wine. |
| The Importance Of Taste Buds | | | | While you may not want to stick your nose in a |
| The average person has approximately 10,000 | | | | glass of wine and then gross out your friends by |
| taste buds on their tongue. Remarkably, the taste | | | | slurping it up and rolling it around in your mouth, it |
| buds are replaced every two weeks. Older people | | | | may be something to consider on those nights |
| have fewer taste buds than younger people do | | | | alone when you can fully enjoy the smell and art |
| because the replacement process diminishes with | | | | of tasting wine. If it still doesn't appeal to you, |
| age. This allows older people to tolerate more salt | | | | trust an expert and join wine clubs who have |
| and pepper in their food and more acid and | | | | already gone through the tasting process for you. |