"Let's Talk Aromas"

by Professor Gary Pickering

Our sense of smell is different from any of our other senses. Before we see, hear, touch, or feel something, the stimulus is processed through the part of our brain responsible for language, where we can associate a word with relative ease and identify the stimulus. Aroma is different. Aroma has been called the speechless sense. When we smell something the stimulus largely bypasses this language centre in our brain. In order to name the aroma we must make a conscious effort to label it, associate it by smelling it again, and then repeat the label. Wine Awakenings kits are designed to enable you to practice that association and to expand your repertoire of aromas, which in itself is an intriguing experience, but in this case, it is specifically focussed on wine.

"Wine Awakenings is a much needed education tool that will greatly assist the consumer in better understanding the not so subtle nuances in the art of wine sensory evaluation. Clearly articulated, easy to follow, affordable and can also add some fun to assist in 'verbalizing' the complicated science of wine"

-signed- Donald Ziraldo, Inniskillin