quarter noteson 19th

AROMA TRAINING IN A GLASS

Finding
the Viola.

You know what a viola sounds like.
Can you follow it in an orchestra?

Wine asks the same of your nose. A familiar hint of vanilla can disappear among fruit, flowers and everything else. Together, we’re learning to notice it again.

Start with a single note ↓

A LITTLE PRACTICE IN PAYING ATTENTION

Meet the orchestra.

Hover to wake an aroma.
Tap or select a glass to explore it.

Start with one glass. Notice the family, then put a name to it.

One note in the orchestra

What catches your attention?

Explore a glass to find a starting question. There’s no required tasting note and no score to chase.

A visual introduction to the exercise. The smelling happens at the table, with culinary references in neutral dry Pinot Grigio and an unmodified wine for comparison.

FIVE THINGS TO PRACTICE

Noticing is a skill.
Naming is another.

Detection
Can I tell that something is different?
Classification
Fruit, flowers, herbs, earth, or something else?
Identification
Can I give it a more specific name?
Segmentation
Can I pick out two aromas when they’re mixed together?
Transfer
Can I recognize something related in an actual wine?

AT THE TABLE

Inside a smell session.

The same sequence, each evening. A familiar process leaves more attention for what’s in the glass.

  1. Learn the six references

    With names visible, smell the plain wine, a reference, and the plain wine again. Compare related aromas side by side.

  2. Let the labels disappear

    The six return in a different order, marked with Greek letters. Write down your impressions before the reveal. “Floral” or “red fruit” is useful too.

  3. Compare the strengths

    One aroma, four glasses: an unmodified control, half strength, full strength and double strength. First notice a difference; then try to name it.

  4. Look for two things at once

    Explore three mixtures of two references. One may stand out while the other gets lost. Take time to look for both before the discussion.

  5. Take it into the wine

    Break, reset, then taste four wines. Begin with your own observations, without the aroma list. Only afterward ask whether anything familiar appeared.

Four evenings.
A few familiar voices.

24 reference appearances. 17 distinct aromas.
The repetition is deliberate: mushroom returns in Pinot, Carso and Jura; beeswax connects Chardonnay and Carso; green apple connects Chardonnay and Jura.