Maize Valley Market & Winery

Look Smell Taste

Look. Smell. Taste.

A great wine is generous and expressive right from the start, and can be appreciated by all of the senses.

Look.

Begin by holding up a glass of wine to a white background in a well-lit room. Observe the clarity and depth of color. Wines should be clear rather than hazy, and should exhibit intense color. Color, resulting from the contact of juice with the grape skins during winemaking, indicates grape varietals and winemaking methods. White wines, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc (often called Fumé Blanc) or Pinot Grigio, may appear light green, clear, straw yellow or gold, or even brown. Sweeter white wines, such as Muscat, generally start off with a deeper shade of yellow. Red wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir, may be purple, ruby, brick red or brownish red. As red wine ages, it will lose color and take on a brick-brown hue. Blush wines, like Dry Rosés or White Zinfandel, are pink.

Smell.

Much of our sense of taste lies in our ability to smell. To release the bouquet and aromas of the wine, swirl the glass. Bouquet refers to odors that result from winemaking decisions, while aroma refers to odors associated with the grape varietal. As wine clings to the inside of the glass, more odors are released. Now smell the wine and try to identify the very first thing you think of. Pumpkin pie? Freshly mowed grass? A cigar box? Leather? Strawberries? These associations make wine tasting fun, and can be a very valuable tool in remembering wines and communicating about them. Because we all bring different associations to what we smell, the Wine Aroma Wheel is a chart that provides a common vocabulary for identification.