What a fragrance! What do I smell?
pro-FU-mo — three syllables, stress on second.
When smelling a wine during tasting and wanting to express appreciation while asking for guidance on the aromas.
'Profumo' = fragrance/aroma. 'Cosa sento' = what do I smell/sense. In Italian wine tasting, smelling the wine ('annusare' or 'sentire il bouquet') is as important as tasting. Asking what aromas you should detect shows engagement.
Il bouquet è molto complesso.
The bouquet is very complex.
'Bouquet' is used in Italian wine language — a complex aroma profile is highly valued
Sento qualcosa di fruttato.
I sense something fruity.
Describing a perceived aroma — 'fruttato' = fruity, very common in Italian wines
C'è una nota di vaniglia?
Is there a note of vanilla?
Vanilla notes come from oak barrel ageing — showing this knowledge impresses the winemaker
Nebbiolo (the grape of Barolo and Barbaresco) is famous for its 'tar and roses' aroma profile — one of wine's most unusual and distinctive descriptors. The tar note ('catrame') comes from the grape's unique phenolic compounds and is considered a quality indicator by serious wine lovers.