The power of smell ... (wine related :)

[Roy Hersh]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2 ... -of-smell/

[Lindsay E.]

That was an interesting article. Smell seems to be similar to a muscle: focus on it and exercise and it grows, ignore it and it atrophies. In short, use it or lose it. I also found it interesting that "smell memory" accounted for that one critic's ability to correctly identify 43 of those 50 Champagnes. I knew smell was important in blind tasting, but I didn't realize that it was the primary tool. My sense of smell is so poor that I utilize my taste sensation the most. So while my handicapped smell makes me a poor judge of "flavors" my attention to sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami have developed into my primary strength regarding wine tasting. But hey, at least I can ride a plane in relative comfort...

[Roy Hersh]

Stewart (from FTLOP) also has an issue with his ability to smell. I think he has a very good palate in spite of that issue. I do like your analogy about the sense of smell being like a muscle.

[Marc J.]

Very interesting article. I was already aware of the connection, but I do believe that a large chunk of the wine-loving public aren't as aware of the interplay between nasal sensitivity of aromas & what is ultimately detected on the palate.