"Smelling" alcohol when tasting.

WINE TALK
1

I am not sure if I am just too sensitive or my nose is just wrong, but there are times when I could swear I could “smell” alcohol in some wines. Obviously I am not saying it has a particular scent, but I do tend to detect the alcohol/ethanol-like fumes. This tends to get in the way a lot when I am trying to get the nose of the wine. Is it just me or is this actually something common that I just need to get over? [training.gif]

2

It’s not common with well balanced wines. But you could be particularly sensitive to it.

Have you found a correlation with this and alcohol levels as quoted on the label?

3

I’ve certainly ‘smelled’ alcohol. At least enough to think it is ‘alcoholic’ compared to many other wines. Generally correlated for me to the alcohol level in the wine (14.5%+), and certainly smelling it also correlated with it being out of balance to some degree.

I would expect it to also ‘blow off’ to some degree, allowing other aromas to come into view. Does your sense of it change over time with a glass?

4

I was taught a trick by a representative of a certain tequila brand:

Open your mouth when you sniff (with your nose) the contents of the glass, and the alcohol will not be evident in any way.

It works!

5

Pure alcohol doesn’t have an odor. What you smell when you think you smell alcohol are usually scents associated with alcohol. Having said that, I certainly have experienced smelling fumes on wine, which I, correctly or not, associate with alcohol content and which I think of as contributing to lack of balance. But I don’t know what causes that sensation since it is not alcohol in and of itself.

6

No need to get into the weeds on this one.

Yes

7

There seems to be some evidence that ethanol does have a detectable odour.

8

I haven’t actually kept track. Perhaps I will do that from now on. I’ve had this happen a several times, just never thought to ask until last night as I was drinking a Shafer Merlot which is at 15.3.

9

In as much as one can sense that a liquid contains alchohol and the likely concentration of alcohol when smelling it, it seems self-evident that alcohol has a smell.

10

[quote=Pure alcohol doesn’t have an odor…[/quote]

I don’t think this is really correct. A web search will indicate that the typical threshold for odor detection of ethanol is about 10 ppm, and describe the scent (with which I concur) as slightly sweet and perfumey.

11

I get this with newly opened fortified wines. If the wine is good, it tends to dissipate in the decanter.

12

I’m not sure if it’s technically a smell or just a slight burn sensation in the nose, but high alcohol levels certainly are detectable in many cases at first whiff. It’s a milder form of what you get sniffing a liquor. And you can also feel it at the back of the palette and in the throat on many wines. I suspect you become more sensitive to it if you don’t drink a lot of high ABV wines. Some people I drink with regularly are oblivious to it but they tend to drink lots of 15% wines.

13

I’ve always thought of it as a sensation rather than a smell – a prickling in the nostrils…

Regardless, it happens almost as often to me with low abv wines as it does with high. The last wine I described as “hot and fumey” in a tasting note was a 2014 Oregon pinot with 12.8 abv on the label.

14

Whether it’s a smell or a sensation, you can certainly tell the difference. Try sniffing a glass of tap water, then a glass of vodka. (Not one of the luxury brands that purposely leave residual scent) Same with a glass of orange juice and a screwdriver.

P Hickner

15

I am allergic to alcohol, which makes being a wine professional, much less an MW student difficult. I cant take meds - because they block perception, then what’s the point, so I apologize, and blow mu nose a lot. Despite this I have managed to get the random A on a tasting paper in the exam, when I was still active in the program. Because I get a histamine reaction, I have had to train myself to taste tactically: based on tactile perception, not aromas & flavors.

Alcohol burns mucus membranes - so you “feel” it in your nose and throat
Acid makes you salivate
Tannins bind and pull saliva from your mouth causing a “drying” sensation on your teeth and gums
Sugar has weight and gives body - and especially for me - width in the mouth

BUT - it is not just that simple:
Glycerol has weight, and can mimic sugar & vise versa
Acid levels can throw off perception of sugar, adding a refreshing character that masks the real RS levels
Balanced Alcohol, even when high, can be smooth, lowering the perceived %abv
Well managed tannins - even if huge- will not dry out the mouth…

So - complex answer to what seems like a simple question…

16

This is more or less what I am talking about. It is “fumey” It is almost like the prickling that you get when it’s very cold outside and you take a deep breath in through your nostrils. It’s not annoying because I can’t get a full whiff of the wine.

17

I’ve never smelled alcohol. If you get the chance, try to smell 100% Ethanol - it’s odourless - except, as Maureen notes, that it brings a burning sensation in your nose. Plenty of wines replicate that, so I assume the alcohol is a bit high - but I’ve never actually smelled the (ethyl) alcohol…

18

+1

19

Perhaps that’s what it is. Either way, it is not pleasant. [thumbs-up.gif]

20

An I mentioned above there seem to be studies showing 100% ethanol (I dont think it’s possible actually, absorbs water too well) does have a scent.