The big noses
There are people who earn their living by sniffing. This is not surprising when it comes to dogs, but when it comes to people, people stop and think. In France, for example, you are a highly paid celebrity if you can call yourself a " grand nez " - because that's the kind of person who makes perfumes.
The nose is also a tool for a sommelier and winemaker, and a cold means that they are completely unable to work. We should find out at some point whether our health insurance companies understand and accept this. Because before it reaches the palate, the " bouquet " of the wine is detected by the nose. Bouquet is French and means bouquet of flowers. In German it is often written as a bouquet - but it is pronounced Buké (like café with a b).
The colorful "bouquet" of aromas determines the taste of the wine. Three types are defined:
primary aroma
The so-called primary aroma is created by the grape itself, i.e. by what grows on the vine. A Riesling grape tastes different from a Merlot grape, and a Pinot Gris grape should not be confused with a Silvaner grape. Anyone who has ever tasted different grapes knows this.
secondary aroma
The secondary aroma is created by the work of the winemaker in the cellar. This includes, for example, the use of barrique barrels , the duration of fermentation, the type of yeast used and many other small adjustments that influence the aroma.
tertiary aroma
The tertiary aromas develop over time while the wine matures in the barrel or bottle. There are wines that develop sensationally over the years and are also really great as seniors (such as our Riesling-Kellergold in the Schatzkammer ).
All three together form the bouquet, the colorful bouquet, the sum of what a wine smells like. That's why connoisseurs always put their nose in the glass before taking the first sip. And that brings us to the next topic: the right wine glass.
But when it comes to finer enjoyment, a different glass is needed. During our studies, we tried drinking the same wine from completely different glasses and the result was striking: the wines tasted completely different from different glasses! (And yes, there are courses in which you suffer more.)
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A good wine glass must always leave enough room for the nose. That is rule number one.
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It has to have a certain belly so that the aroma can develop. That's rule number two.
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It has to be affordable (there are specialist glasses, e.g. from Riedel, where the entry-level models cost a slim 55 euros). That was our third rule when we were looking for a wine glass for our winery.
It was a really difficult search, but finally we found what we were looking for: the "Taste" wine glass from the Schott-Zwiesel brand won us over. It does justice to all of our wines, is robust enough for our colorful everyday life, dishwasher safe, and at the same time perfect for bringing the facets, fine notes and delicate aromas of our high-quality wines to life.
PS: we have three more glasses in our winery (with our logo):
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Mini-Schobbeglas 0.25 L
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original Pfälzer Schobbeglas 0.5 L
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Champagne glass Fine 0.1 L
Equipped with the perfect wine glass, the training can begin! Because the palate is actually a muscle that needs to be trained like any other muscle. And what training could be more exciting? We hope you enjoy your nose and palate training!
Your sniffing counts
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