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Smelling Wine

Smelling wine can sometimes feel unnatural but is a huge contributor to would the wine will taste like. For the same reasons you plug your nose when taking something aweful, you will want to get a noseful before tasting the wine. The smell of the wine is called the "nose" of the wine.

After the first couple times smelling wine, you will get more comfortable. Besides, the majority of restaurants will expect you to smell and taste the wine before they will completely fill your glass. The reason they do this is to make sure you are happy with the selection you picked and it matched your expectations. I have yet to send one back. The following steps are out of the book, Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine, by Mark Oldman.

Smelling Wine Step 1:

First aerate the wine, by swirling the glass. This allows the fully body of the wine to be exposed to oxygen. It is recommended to keep your glass on the table as you swirl the wine so there is less of a chanse to spill.

Smelling Wine Step 2:

After swirling the wine, get you nose down into the glass. Red wine glasses will sometimes have a larger opening which will really allow you get your nose in there. Take several snifts and concentrate on the different smells.

Smelling Wine Step 3:

Some recommend to re-smell the wine after your first taste. This will allow you to match the tastes to the smells more easily. Either way, don't be afraid to do it a couple times to get the full effect. Smelling wine the correct way can be difficult if you do not know what you are doing, but after several attempts it will become second nature.