Wine and Lifestyle - The Wine and Perfume experience

By Katharina Woitczyk

“I feel a certain pleasure when creating. A perfume is always a love story, sublime and sensual.” Those are the words of Jean-Paul Guerlain in his book “Les Routes de mes parfums”. If we were to replace the word “perfume” in the sentence above, with the word “wine” and pretend it was told to us by one of the world’s greatest winemakers,it would still make sense.

However, the creation process itself that involves feelings, emotions, tastes, skillsand numerous techniques of an individual, is not the only thing that wine and perfume have in common. At the other end of this process are the perceptions of those that embraceNboth products.

           The awareness and feelings brought on by the sense of smell is very individual. Each person perceives it differently. Experts say that even the memory of aromas is mostly directed by the subconscious. We cannot “learn” scents the way we can learn the vocabulary or grammar of a foreign language. The memory and recognition of aromas are immediately related to the feelings; we recognize aromas because of the feelings they evoke in us.

We need to experience them in order to be able to memorize them. Thus, the smell of fresh roses may be an aroma to which we can be particularly sensitive, when it provokes a positive emotion, reminding us of a particularly positive situation, for example the fresh and agreeably smelling roses in the dining room of our parents.

To the same extent, we can also be very sensitive to aromas we don’t like, cooked cauliflower, for example. Interestingly enough, it is impossible for us to recognize and to memorize a smell which is completely new to us and to which our memory can’t match any particular emotion.

Thus, someone who has never been exposed to the smell of cinnamon, litchi or white currant will not be able to identify these aromas in a wine or in a perfume.

The big difference between wine and perfume, however, is the different role aromas play for each product. The very reason of creating a perfume is the fact that it provides a scent. This is not the case of wine.

 

Wine is a drink which provides a certain range of aromas,smell however is not the main “function” of wine. Thus, the aromas we perceive in a wine and the aromas we can perceive in a perfume will not have the same intensity. The magic of both wine and perfume is age-old, and still today no one revealed all their secrets.

Funny enough, both wine and perfume were believed to be first produced in ancient Mesopotamia from where the techniques of cultivation and production made their way to neighbouring countries and cultures like Egypt, Greece, Italy and later Spain, France and from there to other countries all over the world.

Another thing in common between the two aromatic essences is the fact that the production of both is based on one hand, on these very old traditions, and on the other hand, the production methods of both had evolved enormously during the last century, thus, uniting modern high-tech and modern achievements with ancient traditions and skills.

However, we should note that unlike wine, most modern perfumes are no longer composed of natural fragrances but rather artificially produced molecules. This is not the case of some of the traditional perfume houses, who still stick to natural ingredients.The idea of the wine and “perfume experiment” was a simple,yet an exciting one.
When I expressed excitement over the challenge of the two having some sort of “affair,” my colleagues felt they simply were incompatible and would clash. Almost immediately they came up with terrifying anecdotes, such as strongly perfumed ladies and gentlemen who during tastings or in gastronomy restaurants bothered the whole crowd of wine connoisseurs around them with their heavily applied fragrances.

All of you might have heard at least once in your lifetime about this lovely and instructive set of fragrances that is designed to teach us the different aromas we can smell in a glass of wine, with the poetic name “ le nez du vin” (litteraly “The nose of wine”).
Inside this little box, you can find a whole range of tiny bottles containing fragrances such as strawberry, vanilla, oak, cypress, chocolate, lemon, grapefruit, rose petals, jasmine, and cloves. The names of these fragrances sound as if they were the ingredients of some wonderful perfume.

Yet, they are first and foremost the aromas we can smell in a glass of wine. If wines and perfumes have the same, let’s call it “smell ingredients,” can a perfume remind us of a Grand Crus ? Are there real similarities between, let’s say, Guerlain’s Shalimar and the aromas we can smell in some of our favourite wines.

To find out, we organized the first “cross smelling” experience in the world, at least to my knowledge. And we didn’t just ask anyone to explore the world of scents and fragrances, but Andreas Larsson himself, Best Sommelier in the World. Would the sensation of smelling an alluring perfume remind Andreas of a previous experience when inhaling the aromas of a great wine ?
If so, would he be able to parallel these fragrances ? To be really honest with you, my first questions actually was, would he accept to participate in the experiment, and would he even like the idea of this playful approach to the aromas of wine ? To my surprise, he welcomed the challenge !

Usually sommeliers like Andreas analyze wine according to three criteria : the colour of the wine, smell and taste. Perfume specialists analyze their exquisite fragrances according to three different notes : the top note, the heart note and the base note.The top note is generally the fragrance you perceive right after the application of a perfume, whereas the heart note can be perceived only later on, and the base note just ads structure to the composition.

Then Andreas accepted to participate in our “ smell experience” he clearly stated that he did not compare the aromas of the two products as such, but rather the sensation of complexity or elegance he smelled in the perfumes (he actually blind-smelled everything) to the sensation wines had evoked in him in the past.
He was also very clear on another point “perfume is supposed to smell, whereas wine only evokes aromas.”What Andreas liked about the idea of that experiment was, “the fun and playful approach to it, and the possibility to discover aromas in a new way”. He agreed that the impressions of descriptions of wines and perfumes often sounded alike.

For those who love exquisite perfumes and to the ones who lust after fine wines, just a few technical indications as to how our analysis proceeded : Andreas smelled the perfumes, on small sheets of papers, just like on the bottles in a blind tasting. There were numbers on the papers so to identify later which perfume had been smelled.

We prepared each paper ten minutes before the testing began in a separate room. I volunteered as “apprentice perfume sommelier,” bringing the perfumed papers in, while taking away the one analyzed previously out of the “smelling room” into which we had transformed our conference hall. Perfume and wine “cross smelling” shall, under no circumstances, be understood as a new scientific approach, but rather as a fun and playful experience - something to make one discover both products in a light-hearted yet sensual approach.

LANCÔME HYPNÔSE FEMME :
Very elegant and suggestive at first, spicy albeit discreet aromas appear, vanilla dominates, and then there’s some fresh aromas of citrus, and creaminess reminiscent of toffee,very discreet and feminine, doesn’t reveal too much, like a stylish lady.
W I N E : Like a round and creamy Meursault.

GUERLAIN VÉTIVER :
Very intense at first, quiet exotic with some woody notes like sandalwood and cedar, then there is an apparent spiciness of dried herbs and flowers. Makes you think of wilderness,
reminiscent of an individualistic person who knows what he wants, discreet strong and elegant.
W I N E : Something distinct and structured, not too aromatic, rather suggestive with a density and tannic structure, Cabernet Franc of a cool climate.

DÉLICES CARTIER :
Slightly more discreet in the beginning, elegant fruit, more sew appeal, red berries, raspberry and cherry, some red flowers and a fine spiciness reminiscent of vanilla as well, elegant feminine and sublime finish with red fruits.
W I N E : A supple and perfumed Pinot Noir.

BULGARI HOMME SOIR :
Spicy nose, quiet complex with hints of ginger, citrus and mint, less fruity than spicy, young and modern, feels more exotic, young, wild, quiet equivocal.
W I N E : Something more herbal and earthy like a southern French blend.

ALLURE HOMME CHANEL :
Young nose with a plethora of complex citrus flavours, lemon peel, orange blossom and yellow flowers, some assertions of sweetness, distinct with a long persistence, some personality, young and crisp.
W I N E : Graves Blanc for the freshness and some hints of sweet honey like aromas.

HYPNÔSE HOMME LANCÔME :
The nose is spicy at first, there’s some mint and almost vegetal aromas like cucumber, there’s melon and green pineapples, less discreet and more upfront, for the individual
that wants to be seen, long persistence of minty aromas.
WINE : well, no rather a cocktail.

CARTIER HOMME DÉCLARATIONS :
Spicy nose, cumin, dry spices, quiet exotic and oriental, beneath the sharp and dry spiciness, there’s some floral notes, red flowers and an oiliness that reminds me of citrus peel, almost curry on the finish, truly an individual with a great experience, doesn’t work for everyone but has a lot of personality.
W I N E : A floral and spicy Gewürztraminer.

SHALIMAR :
Quiet intense yet elegant nose, quiet creamy, woody, cedar wood, some hints of vanilla, there’s some freshness like citrus peel there as well, nougat and mocha, very delicate,
gives harmonious impression, some elegant and flowery notes in the end.
W I N E : Elegant Bordeaux of high class with some woody notes.

CHANEL N°5 :
Really fruity, green and flowery, young, intense, very vivid, fresh citrus, green apple and white flowers, jasmine, feminine and floral finish. Young and zesty.
WINE : Perfumed and young white Bordeaux with floral notes and citrus.

ROSE ESSENTIELLE BULGARI :
Much more intense beginning, flowery with citrus notes like bergamot, citrus peel, then some white flowers and green fruits, fresh and zesty not as complex as the others.
W I N E : A young and flowery Sauvignon Blanc.

TRÉSOR DE LANCÔME :
The beginning is more discreet, more flowery and red fruity, some rose petals, red berries and finally ground spices, some notes of ginger, feminine, velvety and smooth with a fine persistence.
W I N E : Something with red fruits and spiciness, a Pomerol or Saint Emilion with some development.

Ô DE LANCÔME :
Very fresh and zesty, upfront and elegant, young and vivid, lots of fresh citrus, lime and orange blossom, some undertones of cedar wood, very long persistence, not complex but with a youthful grip and lots of zest.
W I N E : A young Riesling grown on limestone.

POÊME DE LANCÔME :
It starts out quiet generous, floral hints of red flowers, there’s some complexity there, quiet sweet, it gives the impression of red berries, especially wild strawberry, there’s some hints of cedar wood there and some undertones of citrus that contribute to a fine freshness. More feminine and sexy.
W I N E : A Syrah from a warm vintage with sweet fruit and good spiciness.

You can try this at home but don't complain if after the following experiment your wife reminds you of fresh and crispy riesling and your husband's hearty cabernet of your favourite cartier fragrance...!

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