The Corkscrew | How to train your nose for wine – the kit that helps you become an expert taster
A good sense of smell is essential for wine tasters, and Frenchman Jean Lenoir’s aroma quiz can help beginners develop it
The nose is integral to appreciating wine and food, as a sense of smell is essential to our ability to taste. Wine tasters need to train and develop their olfactory senses and also learn the extensive lingo.
The vocabulary used to describe wines is complex. However, if you read tasting notes, you’ll notice that many terms are used over and over again, helping to create a consistent lexicon.
A helpful tool for expanding one’s sense of smell is Le Nez du Vin, a system devised by Jean Lenoir. While studying for a degree in oenology at the University of Burgundy, in Dijon, in the 1970s, Lenoir developed a collection of 120 aromas that he used to teach introductory courses on wine. In 1980, he had the set trademarked as Le Nez du Vin.
The first Le Nez du Vin system was encased in a large “book” filled with tiny numbered vials of scents. Sniffing the contents of a vial and trying to categorise them is an effective way to train one’s nose. Lenoir has since expanded the system to cover coffee, whisky, armagnac and spices, and has even released a children’s version of Le Nez, with 12 vials of flower and fruit scents.
