Old Fashion Sensory Skills Kits

In the wine sensory class we experienced at Penn State under tne direction of Denise Gardener and Mario Mazza, we employed several state-of-the arts classroom techniques to learn and master the art and science of smell, sight and taste.  One of the take home experiences was the use of the old fashion Wine Faults Analysis kits that have been used for years by wine judges to practice and hone their skills.  The three different kits teach you to identify and learn individual smells that are associated with all the great wines of the world.  It is truly a mind and olfactory numbing experience.  The pleasant smells are certainly less memorable and therefore less recognizable than the unpleasant smells.  The power of association is an amazing evolutionary tool.  We seek to avoid those unpleasant experiences like rotten eggs and sweat, body odor and moldy earth.  But we seek out the pleasant smells so we can enjoy our everyday experiences.  The whole class is amazing.