Why Aroma Training Works

And Why a True Taster Never Stops Training

Most people believe tasting is a gift. A lucky nose. A natural palate. An instinct you either have or do not.

They are wrong.

Tasting is not talent. It is maintained sensory memory, reinforced through repetition, recalibrated through exposure, and sharpened through comparison. Like language, music, and physical conditioning, it fades when not practiced.

A true taster never stops training. Not because they are insecure, but because they understand how memory works.

Aroma Is Memory Before It Is Language

When you smell wine, you are not identifying flavors. You are triggering stored memories.

Aroma recognition happens in the limbic system, not the rational brain. The signal arrives before words. Vocabulary comes later, if at all. That is why two tasters can smell the same wine and describe it differently, while still being equally correct.

But memory is not static.

If an aroma has not been revisited, reinforced, or refreshed, it weakens. Edges blur. Precision disappears. Confidence fills the gap.

That is where most tasting goes wrong.

Experience Alone Is Not Training

Years of tasting do not automatically sharpen the nose. In many cases, they do the opposite.

Without deliberate recalibration, experience becomes pattern repetition. Tasters rely on shortcuts. Familiar references replace accurate ones. Broad categories replace specific recognition.

This is why experienced professionals still misidentify aromas. Not because they lack skill, but because scent memory, like muscle memory, atrophies.

About the Author

Sébastien Gavillet is COO of Wine Aromas - Le Nez du Vin. A renowned wine and whisky expert, winemaker, and distiller, Sébastien has been working with Le Nez du Vin for over 25 years. He is the author of Discovering and Mastering Single Malt Scotch Whisky and the International Whisky Guide series. He serves as a panel chair and examiner for The Council of Whiskey Masters, shaping global tasting standards and mentoring the next generation of spirits professionals.