I started an informative newspaper column called “Wine 201” about 20 years ago, with the intent of building a wine culture in my hometown of Geneva in Ashtabula County. At the time, there were just eight wineries here and in the adjacent Lake County. The idea was to “take the mystery out of wine, but maintain its magic” — a phrase I stole from Michael Mondavi, the son of the California industry icon.

Now, I contribute to a dozen or more publications, in and around Ohio — wherever family wineries are clustered. I am delighted to add the Tribune Chronicle to the list of places where I share some interesting, informative and, sometimes, fun facts about this amazing industry. So please join me on a journey of exploration about a beverage that adds to the quality of life we so enjoy.

3 sometimes confusing terms

Every industry develops its own unique jargon. The business of wine has more than its fair share of intimidating words and phrases. Three terms — aroma, bouquet and nose — are especially confusing. While they appear to be synonymous, they actually portray slightly different, but related, reactions to how a wine smells to the person about to sample a glass.

Aroma is used primarily as a descriptor for young wines — those released less than two or three years after harvest. It connotes fresh and often intense characteristics that hearken back to the raw fruit from which the wines were produced. Since many winegrape varieties have distinctive aromas, with a little practice, they can be easily identified just by smell. For example: Riesling, a popular grape in this region, has a fruity aroma with hints of citrus, peach or melon. When local Catawbas and Concords are swirled in glasses, their ‘jammy’ or ‘grapy’ fragrances fill the room. Young Sauvignon Blanc may smell like fresh cut grass. A young Pinot Noir may offer hints of raspberries, rose petals or violets.

Bouquet on the other hand, is more subtle, less distinct and comes about as wines mature. Through the steps of fermentation, oak aging, cellar time and other procedures in the winemaking process, a fine wine develops its unique bouquet over months and years. Chardonnay acquires vanilla, honey and oaky overtones. As it ages, Pinot Noir might develop aromas of mushrooms, forest floors or leather and tobacco. Older reds take on hints of bell pepper, smoke, tea, tobacco and sometimes chocolate, currants and raisins. The more experienced a taster, the more important bouquet becomes to the appreciation of a favorite wine style.

Nose is used to describe the combination of bouquet and aroma that emerges from the overlaying of the fresh fruit of a youthful wine with the more mature nuances of an aged vintage. The composite group of odors produces a complex set of mental images to make a final, lasting impression on the taster.

But while bouquet and aroma, when used alone, are primarily ‘positive’ terms, nose is used to identify both the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ in finished vintages. The phrase ‘off-nose’ commonly describes a ‘flawed’ wine, one spoiled through the use of inferior fruit or from faulty winemaking practices. On the other hand, a wine with an ‘exceptional nose’ often wins a gold medal and signifies the winemaker has handled high quality fruit carefully in his or her cellar.

Aroma, bouquet and nose: three similar terms that have slightly different meanings in the world of wine appreciation. And since our brain uses our sense of smell to impact how things taste (think about how your last head cold impacted your appetite), much of our enjoyment comes from how a wine smells. Swirling and sniffing are not just pretentious actions some use to illustrate their superiority over the rest of us; that sloshing is truly important as we learn to enjoy fine wines. And conversely, if a wine is truly flawed, the nose will know.

For additional information, email dwinchell@OhioWines.org.