How to recognize wine by its aroma?What is the first fragrance, tail fragrance and fragrance of Baijiu?

As the saying goes, wine tasting is 60% smell and 40% taste. Smell is the most important and challenging step in wine tasting.

The human olfactory organ is 10000 times more sensitive than the taste organ. Through "smelling", we can know the raw materials used in Baijiu brewing, the advantages and disadvantages of the fermentation process, and even how the wine ages and matures.

These aromas are complex, diverse and rich, which can help you deepen your understanding of Baijiu.Even if it is not a special occasion for wine tasting, it is worthwhile to spend some time smelling and enjoying the complex aroma and lingering charm of Baijiu.

How to taste Baijiu by smelling?The small bottle will demonstrate to you from the aspects of smelling method, smelling dimension, and aroma types.

1. Smell method

Place the glass under the nose, slightly lower the head, and keep the distance between the glass and the nose at 1-3cm.Only inhale the wine, do not exhale it. The inhalation volume should be consistent, and the inhalation should be steady.

You can gently shake the wine to release the aroma, enhancing the sense of smell.Smell it with your nose and record its aroma characteristics.Do not taste the wine while smelling it. Wait until you have smelled it all before tasting it. Also pay attention to the interval between smelling, to prevent the influence of glass on glass.

2. Smell dimension

The evaluation of a wine's aroma mainly focuses on its fragrance, scent, and lingering fragrance. These three aspects can be perceived from the following dimensions.

head fragrance

Also known as top aroma, it refers to the characteristic aroma of a product that is initially smelled, mainly the aroma sensation expressed by some low-boiling, volatile odor molecules, which best represents the aroma style of the product.

The quality of the wine body can be roughly determined by smelling the aroma quality, which is the aroma quality of the combination of the main liquor used in the product and the accompanying liquor.(Note: The main liquor refers to the main body of the combination system, which mainly determines the style characteristics of the wine body; the accompanying liquor refers to the better liquor in the combination system, which mainly serves to cover up defects.)

main fragrance

Also known as the middle or mid-section aroma, it refers to the main aroma of the wine and is the main component of the flavor profile. It represents the most important aroma characteristic of the product.It is smelled after the head aroma and remains stable or consistent over a longer period of time.

By smelling the quality and stability or consistency of the aroma, the quality of the wine body can be roughly determined, as well as the quality of the big wine used in the product.

the fragrance of a trail

Also known as the base fragrance or the bottom fragrance, it refers to the fragrance left after the top fragrance and body fragrance of the product have evaporated.It is caused by volatile substances with high boiling points and is the main material carrier that maintains the stability and persistence of the fragrance.

By smelling the length, comfort, and quality of the aroma in an empty glass, one can roughly determine the quality of the wine body, as well as the quality of the wine used in the product.

a fragrant aroma

Also known as fragrance release, it refers to the gradual release of aromatic components in the product into the air near the mouth of the tasting glass.The intensity of the aroma can be used to roughly determine the quality of the wine body.It can also be used to determine the quality of the wine used in the product.

floating fragrance

Refers to the short-lived aroma of the product, which is not persistent and floats on the surface, making people feel that it is not a natural aroma emitted from the product, but an added aroma.

The combination degree of aroma and taste can be determined by smelling the aroma, which can be used to determine whether there is new technology Baijiu added.

fragrant

One refers to the aroma emitted by the natural diffusion of aroma molecules in the natural state of the sample.The other refers to the aroma that is released and diffused further after chewing the product, as the tissue structure is further fragmented and the temperature of the oral cavity is usually higher than its own temperature, which intensifies the release and diffusion of aroma molecules, resulting in a strong and full aroma in the mouth, that is, a mouthful of fragrance.

It can be used as a quality indicator for aroma, fragrance, and the combination of aroma and fragrance.

roast fragrance

The unique smell or taste of baked goods.Often produced by starch and other ingredients under high temperatures, it is a compound aroma of caramel, sweetness, and milk.

rich and fragrant

It describes a strong, elegant, fragrant, and lasting aroma, with a comfortable and pleasant feeling.

3. Aroma types

The aroma of Baijiu is complex and ever-changing. It is still uncertain how many kinds of liquor there are, but they can be divided into three categories.

First is the fragrance of raw materials.This kind of aroma is produced by the biochemical action of raw materials. For example, sorghum can be decomposed into syringal acid, thus increasing the aroma of Baijiu.Usually there are grain fragrance, distiller's grains fragrance, and koji fragrance.

Secondly, fermentation aroma.This type of aroma is produced by the action of microorganisms during fermentation, such as volatile alcohols, esters, aldehydes, and acids.Fermentation aroma is divided into floral aroma, fruity aroma, toasty aroma, nutty aroma, meat aroma, clove aroma, etc.

Finally, the aging fragrance.This kind of aroma is the aroma obtained by alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones and other compounds in Baijiu during aging and oxidation.For example, alcohols can be oxidized to aldehydes, and acetaldehyde can then undergo condensation with ethanol to produce acetal, which produces a soft aroma.Usually there are wine, oil, and aged fragrances.

4. Aromatic knowledge

Generally speaking, the heavier the aroma, the shorter the age of the wine.As time goes by, the wine stored in the cellar or bottled after a long period of aging will have a softer taste, while the aroma will weaken.

Generally speaking, the "mellow, koji, fermented grains, fruit, soy sauce, light, Luzhou, cellar, rice, honey, sesame, soybeans, medicine, fragrance, aging, burnt, fragrant, overflowing, grain, empty cup, Laobaigan, mud..." are the normal aroma of Baijiu, which is comfortable.

However, inferior Baijiu often makes people uncomfortable in terms of aroma, such as: burnt odor, aldehyde odor, oily smell, fusel oil gas, floating odor, explosive odor, odor, burnt smell, sour gas, gum odor, mold, pit mud odor, bran odor, sweat odor, miscellaneous odor, etc. Negative aroma signs, such as monotonous aroma, abnormal aroma or chemical odor, can help you judge the quality of Baijiu.

In addition, there is no direct correlation between Baijiu aroma and Baijiu flavor.The flavor type of Baijiu is the generalization of its main flavor characteristics. A specific flavor type must contain its representative main flavor.

On the contrary, that is, a certain aroma does not only exist in Baijiu of a specific flavor type, but often several flavor types have similar aroma.For example, light flavor and special flavor Baijiu have pleasant fragrance.