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Garden in a Glass:
4 Ways to Enjoy Uniquely Springy Wines
Fragrant bouquets for glass and garden

Wines can have an uncanny ability to mimic the flavors, and especially the scents of things around us. While tar and roses are reserved for certain “winter wines” (think Barolo, Cabernet Sauvignon), when mild weather returns, we can’t wait peel off the wool and enjoy the light springy scents in the air. But just as art imitates life (or is it the other way around?), wines and outdoor scents can also feel interchangeable and refreshing to the senses.

Earthy, floral, fruity, grassy – these are all natural aromas that can also be found in specific varietals or regions. See if you can identify these notes the next time you are sipping and swirling.

Grassy: “Grassy” scents, from asparagus to herbaceous notes, are classic markers of a cool-weather Sauvignon Blanc. Coupled with the pungently fragrant note of gooseberries, Kim Crawford’s Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand will make you want to just sit and smell the glass all night.

Floral: Think “floral” not only for your garden, but also in the delicate white wines for sipping on their own or during a Spring brunch with friends. For example, sweet Rieslings from the Mosel (ask your wine retailer for a kabinett or a spätlese type) complement a spicy meal by toning down the heat. French Viognier from the famed region of Condrieu is a drier but its perfumed fragrance will literally find your nose anywhere within the same zip code. Viognier complements light chicken or pasta (non-red-sauce) meals.

Fruity: While we can certainly rattle off many red wines that we know as “fruity” – a plummy Shiraz from Down Under, perhaps, or a strawberry-scented Oregon Pinot Noir – there is nothing quite as mouthwatering as the subtle juiciness of a Gewurztraminer, with its refined notes of apricot and lychee fruit. You may need to concentrate at first, but you will soon be rewarded with that signature smell. A good example of this is the ever-accessible Fetzer Gewurztraminer.

Earthy: Here is a prime opportunity to emulate that salt-of-the-earth heartiness that comes from smelling fresh Spring rain or digging up damp soil to plant new blooms. To capture this scent in a glass is quite amazing, considering that wine’s process begins with grapes – which, in their raw state often smell like, well, grapes. This tip is not for the fainthearted, as an “earthy” wine can sometimes border on the “barnyardy” – which may put off the novice sniffers. To find a truly earthy wine, ask your wine retailer to direct you to the red Burgundy section, where you can try out some Pinot Noir that will most likely smell (and taste) like cherries mixed with dirt. In a good way.


    ©Gilat Ben-Dor, 2008. All rights reserved.