THE ADVOCATE 69
VOL. 80 PART 1 JANUARY 2022
c Vegetative – Aromas like bell pepper and mint
c Nutty– Aromas like almond and hazelnut
c Caramelized – Aromas like butterscotch and chocolate
c Woody – Aromas often imparted by oak, like vanilla and coffee
c Earthy – Aromas such as mushroom and dust
By using the wheel while sampling a wine, you can put a name to aromas
you sense but cannot name. After a while that process becomes familiar
and you can do it by memory and association.
The success of this method of identifying aromas and flavours has been
huge, and now there are similar wheels to identify aromas of oak in wine,
of sparkling wines, of specific types of wines, of many types of liquor and
even of cigars. These can all be found on the web, but Dr. Noble sells her
wheel through UC Davis, so that you can honour the copyright and buy it,
and also then hold and spin it and so have that wonderful tactile sensation
along with your wine. Order it online at <ucdavisstores.com/MerchDetail
?MerchID=694352>.
One variant I have used in my capacity as a BC VQA wine assessor is the
“Defects Wheel for Wine” that helps you isolate all the nasty things that
identify a wine gone wrong, the reasons for them and possible fixes. It
includes such terrors as mouse urine (how one learns that smell or taste is
an experience I never want to explore), dank cellar, rancid butter, rotten egg
and horse sweat. It is interesting to spin through, but I sincerely hope any
wine you taste will not have gone down that dark path. Here is a photo of
my wheel. Someone should be holding the nose you see on it.
/MerchDetail?MerchID=694352