Wine descriptions: how to describe the nose?
After colour, the second element in wine descriptions is scent (or the nose). As with the visual aspects discussed above, it is not worth dwelling on it excessively, but there are a few things to consider.
It is a common experience that the smell of a wine is constantly changing, so it is not usually advisable to draw a definitive conclusion from a first impression, especially if we are not dealing with an easily recognisable sauvignon blanc, but with a more complex, mature or neutral wine. If the latter is the case, it is better to focus on the aromas and structure.
A wine that starts off muted can open up, while another one may lose its excessive perfumy scent very quickly. Because of the rapid minute-to-minute changes it is better not to get lost in the details, but to highlight some of the most characteristic notes. For a longer description, feel free to go into detail about what the consumer might sense, but for example, on the back label, where space is limited, it is advisable to combine the aromas and describe those that have the same scent-flavour notes.
When describing the fragrance, think of it as a triad of purity, intensity and olfactory notes.
In the case of purity, we smell a pleasant or unpleasant odour. Since no one will describe their wine as having an unclear nose, it is usually up to the buyer to decide.
As regards intensity, we distinguish between restrained and intense, which can be described as elegant, reserved or even perfumed, overflowing, bursting.
When mentioning the olfactory notes, it is worth keeping to a certain order, as this will help the consumer to get an idea of the character of the wine, rather than jumping from one aroma to the other. Start with the most noticeable flavour notes and work down to the less obvious aromas in the background.
If it’s a lighter, perfumed variety, describe the primary notes of fruit and flowers, while with a more serious wine, the fruit aromas can be followed by describing the secondary notes derived from fermentation, like spices or toasted oak and then the tertiary aromas resulting from bottle ageing.
Mia Kodela