Is it my nose or power of suggestion?

Toward the end of the first day of the two day class on Sensory Analysis I asked instructor John Buechsenstein this question: "If I smell a wine initially but don't smell liquorish and then after someone else in the class identifies it I can smell it on the next whiff, is it power of suggestion or am I really smelling it?" John's response is that he would side with the conclusion that I have actually smelled the liquorish and it's not just my mind playing tricks on me.

I have to admit that I still struggle with sensory analysis as I put a wine under my nose and I say to myself, "that's a cab" or "that's a chard" not "I smell baked cherries" or "I get essence of oak & vanilla" but I am getting more in tune with the deal. After two days under the expert tutelage of John B I can finally understand the process a wine professional goes through to reach the point where he can blind taste a wine and identify the varietal, region, age, and winery. Understanding the process is one thing but getting to the point where you can do it good enough to be a master takes years because there are so many wines to study and classify.

The first day of sensory analysis included the identification of flaws in wine. It's what you are supposed to identify when the sommelier pours you a sample of the bottle you've ordered. That and if the wine has turned to vinegar. There are six identified flaws that can exist in wine for one reason or another.

1. Oxidized - When oxygen is allowed to get into the wine in the bottle or it is exposed to heat it can get a stale aroma. I smelled an almost pine nut aroma in the sample we had.
2. Volatile Acidity - Again caused by oxidation but results in a smell like nail polish remover, model glue, vinegar.
3. Hydrogen Sulfide - The smell of rotten eggs/sulfur which can occur in the wine making process.
   
4. Brettanomyces - A band-aid, medicinal and some times menthol smell that can be treated as a positive or negative aspect of the wine. Some call this "the french disease" since in small occurrences can give the aroma of truffles which is often a noteworthy distinguishing trait of french wines and some french chefs. A little goes a long way
5. Corked (TCA) - A musty smell that reminds me of a half dry towel that was used after leaving a chlorinated pool. Most often this is blamed on a bad cork that has introduced mold into the wine. This can also occur in the barrel. TCA is short for 2,4,6 trichloroanisole a chemical compound that causes cork taint.
6. Sulfites - Like the smell of a struck match. Sulfites are used as an anti-oxidant in wine and can naturally occur in grapes. Not to be confused with sulfides, sulfites in unacceptable levels can mask other odors

The are many pleasant odors in wine, whites can have a number of aromatics:

• Isoamyl Acetate - banana aromas
• Terpenes - floral aromas
  
• Thiols - grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit, fresh sweat, cat pee
• Pyrozine - herbal aromas of green olive, bell pepper, asparagus often a characteristic of sauvignon blanc
• Diacetyl - Buttery, oak aromas resulting from malolactic fermentation a trademark of oak barrelled Chardonnay.

Red Wine notes:

• Aromas of strawberry and pencil shavings are an indicator of Pinot Noir
• Cool climate reds can offer a black/white pepper smell whereas hot climate reds will give off more of a baking spicy attribute like cinnamon and nutmeg