A bouquet is worth 1,000 sips

When discussing the sense of smell last week, I forgot to explain the fine line that exists between the smell and the taste of wine in the glass.

A simple “nose test” will explain my point. Plug your nose and take a sip of orange juice. Without your sense of smell, the receptors in your mouth will only identify a natural sweetness and juice acidity, but you won’t be able to identify the liquid. Let the juice remain in your mouth for a moment. While swallowing, unplug your nose to allow full aromas to flow over the olfactory nerves. You will definitely experience a rush of orange citrus flavour.

In many ways, the initial sniff of wine is more informative than subsequent tastes: it imparts more information about the wine than does taste on the palate.

The importance of palate will be the subject for next week.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
I rarely feature the same winery two weeks in a row, but I feel obliged to make this week’s choice of wine be the 2011 Pinot Noir from Domaine Darius.

This Pinot shows a washed garnet in the glass, whose nose is a ripe red berry explosion, with straw stable compost nuance, and a teasing spicy cherry finish.

Crafted by David Gillingham, it is a delightful wine—and a bargain at $22 a bottle at Domaine Darius, 1316 Wilson Road in Hillier.