Page 96 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 96
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
By appearance
The colour of wine and its clarity is assessed by looking at it. Both these properties
inform us about the wine’s condition, the winemaking techniques, the variety of grapes,
the stability of wine and even its quality.
Assessment by sight. Photo: the Terčelj family archive, Miloš Toni, Aleš Gačnik.
By odour
The nose is the organ with which we detect the wealth of aromas, how pleasant and
harmonious they are, their finesse or roughness, aggressiveness or gentleness. It also tells
us about the presence of undesirable odours. Smells are detected by olfactory receptors
in the nose, which are connected via nerves to the brain, where there is a sensory centre.
The olfactory receptors must be well-rested when we want to detect smells, i.e. the wine’s
odours, so we cannot try to recognise a wine by its odour when we have a cold. The most
volatile substances, i.e. the wine’s bouquet, are detected by smell. The other, less volatile
components, which are released in our mouth, are also detected in the nasal passage. Both
these sensations constitute the aroma of wine. Its
detection depends also on the chemical com-
position of the non-volatile components (acids,
mineral substances, etc.).
Assessment by smell. Photos: Aleš Gačnik, Miloš Toni, Boris Farič, the photo library of the Ptuj Regional Museum.
92
By appearance
The colour of wine and its clarity is assessed by looking at it. Both these properties
inform us about the wine’s condition, the winemaking techniques, the variety of grapes,
the stability of wine and even its quality.
Assessment by sight. Photo: the Terčelj family archive, Miloš Toni, Aleš Gačnik.
By odour
The nose is the organ with which we detect the wealth of aromas, how pleasant and
harmonious they are, their finesse or roughness, aggressiveness or gentleness. It also tells
us about the presence of undesirable odours. Smells are detected by olfactory receptors
in the nose, which are connected via nerves to the brain, where there is a sensory centre.
The olfactory receptors must be well-rested when we want to detect smells, i.e. the wine’s
odours, so we cannot try to recognise a wine by its odour when we have a cold. The most
volatile substances, i.e. the wine’s bouquet, are detected by smell. The other, less volatile
components, which are released in our mouth, are also detected in the nasal passage. Both
these sensations constitute the aroma of wine. Its
detection depends also on the chemical com-
position of the non-volatile components (acids,
mineral substances, etc.).
Assessment by smell. Photos: Aleš Gačnik, Miloš Toni, Boris Farič, the photo library of the Ptuj Regional Museum.
92
