When a red wine is served too warm, the taste of alcohol dominates the palate and dulls the senses, thus a light chill will help the aromatics flourish. The next time you enjoy a bottle, try the first glass at ‘fridge’ temperature. As you savor the bottle note the differences with each temperature shift.

But why is there so much differentiation based on temperature? Just like solid food, wine can give off different scents as it chills and warms.

The Nose Knows

It has been said that we ‘taste with our brain’. Therefore, the process of ‘tasting’ wine is a multi-faceted cerebral process. Anyone that has suffered from Texas allergies or cedar fever knows that losing the ability to smell results in the inability to taste. 75% of what we perceive as taste comes from our sense of smell or olfaction.

Unique and recognizable scents are created in wine by volatile odiferous compounds. While primary esters offer the aroma of fruit, impact compounds give us the scent of properties that are not always first thought of as edible. For example, the grape Sauvignon Blanc is best known for notes of fresh cut grass, asparagus and ‘cat pee’ (ammonia). Sound appetizing? Don’t put your favorite porch sipper aside yet, these notes are created by a compound called Methoxypyrazene, or Pyrazene, that develops in the grape in varying levels due to climate type and vineyard management. While some find this scintillating, many find it repulsive. When these molecular compounds are carried out of the glass to our olfactory, several things happen before you ‘recognize’ this scent.

• First, the cilia in your olfactory take hold of the compound and the ‘lock and key’ principle is triggered

• The proverbial scent key fits into a neurological lock and neurons carry that message to the brain much like a switchboard

• If the key fits the lock, we open a a visualization or memory. This connection allows us to process scent. Research with patients suffering from dementia confirms the degradation of memory acts in tandem with loss of smell.

Earlier this year, a wine was released with a ‘scratch and sniff’ label, which I found to be particularly enticing. I collected ‘scratch and sniffs’ with obsessive veracity in my youth, but found this to be a perfect metaphor for the complexity of aroma and memory. Imagine for a moment the ‘apple’ sticker, even without its physical presence you can mentally identify its scent. This scent is nothing like a fresh cut apple, nor is it similar to a baked apple, though all three are recognizable as ‘Apple’. The association between the visual cues on a sticker, combined with the smell our olfactory processes help our brain categorize this totally unique scent.

When smelling wine, the mental visualization of what entices you allows you to better taste the complexity of the juice. Much like scratch n sniff stickers, there isn’t a wrong answer – what you associate a smell with is always correct as that’s how your brain has locked that scent memory away.

Whether you consider wine to be a passion, a pleasure or professional pursuit the most important part is that it enriches your life. Enjoy your wines and continue to entice your senses, your brain will thank you someday.

Three Wines To ‘Beat the Heat’

2021 RE:ROOTED 210, ROUSSANNE- Produced with fruit sourced in the Texas High Plains AVA, this brilliant, yet refreshing, white will both tantalize your senses while leaving you refreshed. Notes of candied citrus, vanilla cream and honeysuckle are balanced with crisp acidity.

2021 Saint Tryphon Rosé- Our Sommelier, Jen, fell head over heels for this Rhone Style rosé. With ripe notes of strawberry and melon up front and palate cleansing minerality.

2021 Soto Vino, Texas Glou Glou- Glou Glou is a European wine term that refers to a wine that is perfectly ‘glug-able’ and it perfectly fits this natural Aglianico: A red best served with a slight chill! Limited production, only 5 bottles available!