Wine Xperience 2011: Wine & Perfume

Despite wearing fragrance is a big NO NO we learn in Wine Lesson No.1, I accidentally landed on a fragrance job while I was looking for my first wine job and I must say it has been one of the best things ever happened to me. I have been working in the world of wine and fragrance for about 8 years and I see many similarities and make new discoveries everyday.

"This is like wine tasting!" I often hear my clients say when I show them new fragrance and describe scents. Although,

- Fragrance is something you wear to enjoy the scent

- Wine is something you consume to enjoy the taste

The word "taste" as in "wine tasting" can be misleading since our taste buds can only detect primary 4 elements of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter and more than 80% of what we believe "taste" is actually perceived through our nose, or sense of smell. This explains why smelling perfume is similar to wine tasting.  

If you ask me, "what is the most popular fragrance you've seen in the past 8 years?" Without hesitation, my answer will be: Giorgio Armani Aqua di Gio for men's and Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue for women's. Here is the list of notes found in each fragrance:

Aqua di Gio:

Marine Notes
Mandarin
Bergamot (citrus fruit grown in Italy's Calabria)
Neroli (bitter orange blossom)
Persimmon
Rosemary
Jasmine
Amber
Patchouli

Light Blue:

Sicilian Citron
Granny Smith Apple
Jasmin Sambac
Bamboo
White Rose
Cedarwood
Amber
Musk


Then the other day, I was looking at the notes found in Riesling and they are:

Citrus (lemon/ lime/ grapefruit)
Apple (red/ green)
Peach
Apricot
Mandarin
Orange Peel
Orange Blossom
Honeysuckle
Rose
Jasmine
Musk
Spice
Mineral

Is it just me who is finding similarities in these top selling fragrance and Riesling? 

Next time when you have a glass of Riesling (or any wine), please don't just drink it. Stick your nose in the glass, take a moment to enjoy all the wonderful scents you can find, and let your imagination work. Wine is not just a glass of alcohol; it will tell you a story and that is one of the reasons why I find wine fascinating.

By the way, what makes wine and perfume different? Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite essays "A Nose for Quality" written by Chandler Burr.

"Perfumes are made by humans. They are works of art, and art is communication between humans. These wines are made, ultimately, by nature, and you can't critique nature."