Aroma Challenge: How Good are You at Identifying Aromas in Wine? Take the Test.

About 30 minutes from , a romantic bed and breakfast inn in Napa, is Joseph Phelps winery, where they now offer an Aroma Challenge Seminar, a 90-minute course on how to identify aromas in wine.  

Tasting 6 different wines over the course of 90 minutes, even with the help of a "wine wheel" that lays out a long list of potential aromas in different varietals, was quite a challenge.  

The obvious up-front aromas were easy (blackberry, cherry, etc.) but the underlying aromas were much more difficult to identify. With the help of our wine educator (Luba- you were great!), though, we were taught how to identify those more subtle aromas.  

In the middle of this seminar you are also presented with 12 glasses of wine with clear liquid, each filled with the essence of aromas you find in wine (6 red wine aromas, 6 white wine aromas) and are challenged to identify what you smell. The wine educator even presents you with identifier cards with pictures representing potential aromas (green apple, pear, banana, or cherries, strawberries, licorice), including a few extra misleading ones.  I really thought I had it nailed, scored 100 percent.  

Then came the answers- ugh! I scored 50 percent on the white wine aromas and 80 percent on the red wine aromas. Boy do I have a lot to learn!

Understand that not only do you become more educated, but you also get to drink some really great wine.

Total cost of the seminar: $50 per person.  Well worth the money and the time.  Call Joseph Phelps today and reserve your seminar.