How to Smell Wine: The Beginner’s Aroma Guide

If tasting wine feels intimidating, smelling wine can feel downright impossible. You swirl, you sniff… and suddenly everyone else is detecting “violets” and “wet stone,” while you’re over here getting “uh… grape?” Here’s the truth, you don’t need a superhuman nose to smell wine well. You just need a simple technique and a basic understanding of aroma categories. This guide walks you through exactly how to smell wine properly — and how to start identifying aromas even if you’re a total beginner. Let’s dive into the nose-first part of wine tasting.

Why Smelling Wine Matters

About 80% of wine flavor comes from aroma. Your tongue can only detect sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. Everything else — fruit, flowers, herbs, spices — comes from your nose. If you want to understand wine, or simply enjoy it more, the smelling step is where the magic happens.

Step 1 — Swirl (The Aroma Activator)

Before smelling, give the glass a gentle swirl. Why?

• It lifts aromatic compounds up to your nose.

• It “opens up” the wine.

• It warms the wine slightly so more aromas release.

You don’t need a dramatic, sommelier-style swirl. A simple table-top swirl is perfect — stable, easy, spill-proof.

Step 2 — Smell the Wine

Bring the glass slightly below your nose. No need to dunk your whole face inside — stay relaxed. Take one long inhale. This gives you the overall impression. Then take 2–3 short sniffs to help separate different aromas. Pull your head back and pause. Your brain processes scent best with a few seconds of rest.

Step 3 — Identify Aromas Using Simple Categories

This is where beginners get overwhelmed. Don’t try to identify 20 different notes — just stick to simple categories.

Here are the five core beginner-friendly aroma groups.

1. Fruit Aromas (The Easiest Starting Point)

Red Wine Fruit Notes

• Cherry

• Raspberry

• Strawberry

• Plum

• Blackberry

White Wine Fruit Notes

• Lemon

• Lime

• Green apple

• Peach

• Pineapple

Beginner Tip - Don’t force it. Just ask: Does it smell red-fruity, dark-fruity, or citrusy? That alone is a huge win.

2. Floral Aromas

Easy to detect once you know to look for them.

• Rose

• Violet

• Honeysuckle

• Orange blossom

Floral notes usually come from aromatic white grapes (like Riesling or Gewürztraminer) or elegant red wines (like Pinot Noir).

3. Herbal & Green Aromas

These bring freshness or earthiness. Common beginner-friendly examples:

• Mint

• Basil

• Green bell pepper

• Eucalyptus

• Dried herbs

If you’ve ever smelled a Cabernet Sauvignon and thought “that’s kinda green vegetable” you’re not wrong. That falls into this category.

4. Earthy Aromas

These develop from winemaking and aging.

Examples:

• Mushroom

• Forest floor

• Wet leaves

• Leather

Earthy notes are common in:

• Old World wines (France, Italy, Spain)

• Aged wines

• Pinot Noir

• Nebbiolo

These are the aromas that make wine nerds lose their minds, but beginners can identify them faster than you think.

5. Oak-Derived Aromas

These come from barrel aging, not the grape itself.

Common oak notes:

• Vanilla

• Caramel

• Toast

• Coconut

• Baking spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg)

Beginner shortcut:

👉 If the wine smells “warm” or “dessert-like,” it probably saw some oak.

Why You Struggle to Identify Aromas (It’s Normal)

Beginners often think they’re “bad” at smelling wine — they’re not. Here’s why it’s hard at first:

• You don’t have a “flavor memory bank” yet

• You’re smelling complex blends of aromas

• Your brain doesn’t know what to look for

• You’re comparing yourself to people with experience

The good news? Your nose improves FAST when you start practicing intentionally.

How to Practice Smelling (No Aroma Kit Needed)

Your kitchen is the best aroma lab.

Smell these regularly:

• Lemon or lime

• Apple

• Fresh herbs

• Cinnamon

• Vanilla extract

• Coffee beans

• Black pepper

You’re not trying to memorize them — you’re simply teaching your brain to recognize them again in wine.

How to Use Aroma Categories in Your Tasting Notes

Instead of trying to identify specifics, start with category-level descriptions:

• “Red fruit + vanilla”

• “Citrus + floral”

• “Earthy + herbal”

• “Dark fruit + spice”

This is more than enough for a beginner tasting note — and it’s actually how sommeliers start their thought process. This is also exactly how Somm Scribe organizes aromas, making it easy to build confidence with structured categories before diving deeper.

Example Beginner Aroma Assessment

Here’s what a simple aroma note might look like:

• Red fruit (cherry, raspberry)

• Light floral note

• Touch of vanilla from oak

Clean, simple, accurate — no poetry needed.

Track Your Aromas to Improve Faster

The best way to train your nose is to write down what you smell — even if it feels basic. Keeping a tasting journal helps you:

• Notice patterns

• Get better at identifying scents

• Understand what styles you love

• Build vocabulary naturally

This is exactly why Somm Scribe exists — it gives you clean, guided aroma categories and tasting prompts without overwhelming you.

Conclusion

Learning to smell wine isn’t about expertise — it’s about paying attention and noticing broad categories. Once you start using a simple method, aromas reveal themselves faster than you’d expect. Ready to get better at smelling wine?

👉 Start your free aroma-focused tasting journal at Somm Scribe
Build your nose one scent at a time.