Training Your Sense of Smell for Wine: The Fun and Fragrant Journey

When it comes to wine, your sense of smell is your superpower. Whether you’re sniffing out the juicy fruit in a Shiraz or the oaky notes of a Chardonnay, the aromas in a wine tell its story. But let’s be real—most of us smell something in a wine and think, “I know this scent… but what is it?” Enter Le Nez du Vin, the ultimate tool to sharpen your wine nose.
This week on The Wined Up Podcast, Jason and Trent tackled the art of olfactory training. It involved fancy French pronunciation attempts, a bit of fear, and a whole lot of sniffing. Let’s break it down and see how you, too, can train your sense of smell like a pro.
What Is Le Nez du Vin?
First things first—what’s in the box? Le Nez du Vin (pronounced “luh neh doo va”—we think) is a set of tiny bottles filled with different scents. Think of it as a gym for your nose. Created in 1981 by Jean Lenoir, a Burgundy-born wine enthusiast, this kit is designed to help wine lovers identify and name aromas in wine.
Each of the 54 bottles represents a specific aroma you might encounter in wine—fruity, floral, spicy, toasty, and more. Lenoir wanted to make wine appreciation as approachable as music or art, and this kit has become a go-to for sommeliers and wine geeks alike.
Why Train Your Sense of Smell?
Your sense of smell, or olfactory system, is the MVP of wine tasting. Sure, your tongue picks up sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami, but your nose? That’s where the magic happens. Smelling wine helps you identify subtle aromas and understand its flavor profile better.

Training your nose helps you:
- Improve Communication: Whether you’re sharing your thoughts with friends or writing tasting notes, a trained nose adds clarity and confidence.
- Sharpen Your Tasting Notes: Smelling accurately makes describing wine easier and more fun.
- Recognize Aromas with Confidence: No more vague guesses. Is that blackcurrant or cherry? Vanilla or caramel?
- Enhance Your Enjoyment: You’ll notice more complexity and layers in every glass.
How to Use Le Nez du Vin to Train Your Nose
1. Set the Scene
First up, find a neutral-smelling space. Forget the kitchen or a room where your dog just had a nap. You need somewhere clean and neutral, free of distractions like food, candles, or Jason’s aftershave.
2. Dive into the Bottles
The kit divides aromas into families—fruity, floral, vegetable, woody, spicy, animal, and toasty. Here’s the fun part:
- Pick a bottle (or have someone choose one for you).
- Take a sniff and concentrate. What’s the scent? Does it remind you of something specific?
- If you’re unsure, try grouping it into a family first. Does it smell fruity? Woody? Floral?
3. Compare and Check
After you’ve guessed, check the notes provided with the kit. Repeat the process with another bottle. The goal? Build a mental library of scents.
4. Consistency is Key
You won’t become a nose ninja overnight. Smell a few bottles daily, revisit ones that stump you, and practice describing them out loud.
5. Bring a Friend
Everything’s more fun with a buddy—wine sniffing included. Share your guesses, laugh at the ones you get wildly wrong, and learn from each other.
Tips to Boost Your Sniffing Skills
A. Smell Everything
Seriously, everything. Herbs at the grocery store, spices in your cupboard, flowers in your garden. The more you expose yourself to different scents, the sharper your nose will get.
B. Use Memory Triggers
Link smells to memories or objects. That “vanilla” scent? Maybe it reminds you of baking with grandma. “Earthy”? Think of a rainy forest hike.

C. Practice with Wine
Next time you open a bottle, give it a good sniff before taking a sip. See if you can pick out the same aromas in the glass that you’ve trained your nose to recognize.
Is Smell Training for Wine Appreciation Hard?
In a word: yes. But also no. As Jason put it on the podcast, “This is so hard!” Some scents are easy to recognize but tough to name. Others might stump you completely. The good news? Practice makes perfect—or at least pretty decent.
Trent added, “We don’t need to get this right. It’s about having fun and learning along the way.” So, don’t stress if you confuse cedar with sandalwood or lemon with lime. It’s all part of the journey.
Why Sense of Smell Training for Wine Appreciation is Worth the Effort
Training your nose isn’t just about wine. It’s about heightening your awareness of the world around you. From appreciating the smell of freshly brewed coffee to identifying the faintest hint of vanilla in a glass of Merlot, your sharpened sense of smell will enrich your everyday life.
And when it comes to wine? You’ll be the person at the table confidently saying, “I’m getting notes of blackberry, cinnamon, and a hint of toasted oak,” while everyone else nods in awe.
The Wined Up
Le Nez du Vin is more than a fancy box of scents—it’s a ticket to understanding and enjoying wine on a deeper level. So, grab a kit, pour yourself a glass, and start sniffing.
As Trent and Jason from The Wined Up Podcast would say, “It’s not about being perfect—it’s about having fun and discovering something new.” Cheers to that! 🍷
If you want to buy a Le Nez du Vin you can buy it here. Note: Only the French Version was available so the book is written in French, however the scent, numbering, and images will still help you train your sense of smell.
Click here to watch the full episode where The Wined Up Podcast talk in detail about the Le Nuz Du Vin as part of their discussion on Burgundy Red wines.
A short video summarising the Le Nez Du Vin is also below: