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Whether wine is a personal interest or part of your daily work-if you've learned how to open a winery, chances are you’ve picked up some wine terms along the way. This includes terms like meaty, wine legs, vegetal, and smelling wine.
As you’ve likely discovered, a wine’s scents contain valuable information about its contents. Sniffing wines to understand their differences and similarities is part of how you make a great wine pairing.
Using a wine aroma kit is one of the best ways to learn popular wine scents. Continue reading to learn all about wine smelling kits and our own recommendations.
Wine Smelling Kit
Given how unique the aromatic properties of one wine can be, it’s no surprise that remembering what sets them apart is difficult. Even one manufacturer can produce dozens of wine varietals, and it’s easy to forget which wine has what flavor, unless you have a system to track the variations.
That’s why wine smelling kits exist. The idea behind them is to make it easier to identify various wine scents, learn the differences between them, and refer to them for several years to come.
Every wine smelling kit includes aroma bottles with one unique scent per bottle. They also come with booklets--some detailed, some simple--about each wine’s origin, ingredients, and production process. The point of a wine kit is to provide you everything you need to learn wine aromas, understand them, and recall them.
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No matter what your favorite wine is, it’s going to be similar to other wines, like gluten free wine brands. This is why it’s helpful to document where a wine comes from, the type of grapes used, and whether it's an aged wine or fresh vintage. The more you know about a wine, the more easily you can select the right one for a meal or event.
To make it easier to pick a wine smelling kit, we compiled a few of the best options. Take a look below:
Master Wine Aroma Kit
This wine smelling kit from Aromaster contains 88 wine scents across red, white, sparkling, and sweet wines. Whether you want to increase your own wine knowledge or are shopping for a gift, this comprehensive kit is a top-shelf selection.
To start, simply select one bottle from the kit, open it up, and sniff it. The booklet in Aromaster’s kit shares details about each scent and how to differentiate it from others.
Discover incredible aromas like capsicum, gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, and tree moss. You can also keep it next to your wine storage cabinets when it’s not in use.
TASTERPLACE Red Wine Aroma Set
If you prefer a smaller smelling kit or one dedicated to red wines, TASTERPLACE is for you. Their kit comes with 12 popular red wine aromas along with a booklet on how to train your sense of smell. Flip through the booklet to find interesting details about each aroma and compare the scents to one another.
This makes a great gift for any wine enthusiast, from those just starting out to those learning how to become a sommelier. At less than $70, it’s one of the most affordable wine aroma kits currently available.
Wine Awakenings’ Master Kit, Magnum Edition
Looking for a show-stopping wine aroma kit? Wine Awakenings has one that will impress even the most seasoned of wine tasters. Their Magnum Edition Master Kit contains 60 flavors including licorice, mushroom, quince, and mint.
The included wine literature will tell you everything you need to know about individual scents. All you need to do is select one aroma, open the bottle, and start smelling. With 60 aromas to choose from, there’s plenty to be entertained with!
Pick up this excellent wine smelling kit today for a friend, family member, or yourself. It’s also an affordable resource for training your restaurant or bar staff on popular wine aromas.
Aroma Academy Wine Aroma Kit
If you’re looking for a wine smelling kit that’s more advanced than starter options but not as costly as full-blown ones, Aroma Academy has you covered. This kit comes with 24 scents usually found in fine wines, which is any wine with a high-quality reputation.
Flip through the 122-page booklet detailing each scent and where it comes from, dip an aroma strip into one of the bottles, and start smelling. You’ll be captivated by the variety of scents in just one box. Aroma Academy’s kit makes a phenomenal gift, too!
Le Nez du Vin 54 Wine Aroma Kit
Take your wine appreciation to the next level with Le Nez du Vin’s 54 scent wine kit. Their comprehensive collection includes aromas like red currant, truffle, raspberry, and smoke.
Delight the wine lover in your life or treat yourself to a marvelous collection. You can keep this kit in your wine storage area and review it annually to refresh your knowledge.
To get started with the kit, simply open the box, select an aroma, and find its page in the booklet. You’ll find intriguing details about the contents of the wine, making it easy to remember the details of a particular aroma.
Wine Awakenings’ Speciale Red Wine Kit
Do you love Wine Awakenings in particular but don’t want to drop the extra cash for their Magnum edition? Don’t sweat it--that’s what their Speciale Red Wine Kit is for. This aroma kit comes with 20 of the most popular scents in the wine world. Explore scents like forest floor, cinnamon, prune, and violet.
At about $129, Wine Awakenings’ Speciale Red Wine Kit is one of the most affordable. Pick one up as an unforgettable gift, or add it to your personal wine collection today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wine Aroma Kit
Wine aroma kits provide a fun, convenient way to learn about dozens of scents at a time. If it’s your first time using one, or you want to make your own, you likely have a few questions about them.
You can reduce the time spent on research by learning from the questions others have asked. Take a look at these commonly asked questions and our answers below:
How do you make a wine aroma kit?
Making your own aroma kit is possible with a couple wine varieties, tincture bottles, wine glasses, sticker labels, aroma ingredients, and some time. Here is how to get started:
- Buy as many tincture bottles and sticker labels as you plan to make aromas for. There’s no right or wrong number, but between six and 12 is a good place to start.
- Select one red wine and one white wine. These are the wine bases you’ll use for infusing the aroma ingredients. Pour about two tablespoons of wine into as many glasses as you have ingredients.
- Place aroma ingredients in the wine glasses for an hour or two. Once complete, remove any solid ingredients and swirl your wine glasses. Briefly sniff each glass so you can become familiar with the aroma inside.
- Carefully pour each wine aroma into separate tincture bottles. Then label each bottle with a sticker label, rearrange the order, and turn the labels away from you. Open up one bottle, sniff it, and see if you can tell which scent it is.
Now you have your own wine aroma kit! You can store the bottles in a wood box, carrying case, or anything that suits your storage needs.
How do you use a wine aroma kit?
A wine aroma kit is used to learn various wine scents, and uncover what differentiates them and makes them memorable. Wine scent kits typically come with an even number of aroma samples, like 20 or 60. Some aroma kits have as many as 88 or more scents to explore.
All that’s required to use a wine aroma kit is to follow along with its instructional booklet, open up the sample jars, and smell them. You can also experiment by opening a bottle without looking at the label and seeing if you can tell the aroma. Over time your nose will become more familiar with each scent, and it’ll be easier to discern the difference between similar aromas.
How long does an aroma kit last?
Wine aroma kits can last up to 10 years or longer, so it’s a worthy investment for those interested. The scents can be referred to several times throughout a year and make a great resource when learning which foods to pair with specific wines.
The main factor to be aware of when keeping an aroma kit this long is wine acidity. The longer wine is stored, the higher acid content it contains. This is why people use a decanter to achieve low acid wine, as it offers better flavor and has a smoother mouthfeel.
It’s Always Wine O’Clock Somewhere
Learning various wine aromas is both a relaxing and educational way to unwind. You get to discover what makes a scent combination unlike any other while testing the strength of your nose.
Giving a wine aroma kit to someone you love is an amazing gift, as well. It shows your elegant, sophisticated tastes and demonstrates that you want the best for your recipient. Use this aroma kit guide to support all of your wine educational needs.
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