 The honeyed phrases flow like the wines they describe, but the truth is that wine experts often use a torrent of language to disguise the fact they can't always put a name to the aroma they are smelling.
Those wine buffs who say "you'll be impressed by its berried impudence" or urge us to "bask in its sumptuous oakiness" are actually no better at getting the right description than any other drinker, New Scientist magazine said Wednesday. But the magazine said wine experts do have a strong memory for smells, which is crucial to their appreciation of the grape. Researchers in New Zealand tested the ability of 11 wine experts and 11 novices to recognize and name 12 individual chemicals that are components of wine aromas. They were then given an additional 12 samples and asked both groups to name them and say whether they were among the original 12. "The wine experts proved just as inept as the novices at naming odors," the magazine said. "But the experts did excel in recognizing whether an odor had been repeated -- a task that draws on their memory of smell itself, rather than their verbal ability." it added. The ability to remember the experience of various wines is crucial, Anthony Dias Blue, wine editor of Bon Appetit magazine told New Scientist. That, he said, is just a matter of practice. (Agencies) | 你能想象嗎，當一串串天花亂墜的專業術語從那些品酒專家口中說出的時候，他們只是在試圖用語言來遮掩一個事實：原來他們和常人無異，并不能確切對所鑒別的葡萄美酒說出個所以然來。 那些品酒專家通常會這樣故弄玄虛地說道"這種漿果口味的酒味道十分獨特，為你帶來味覺上的沖擊"，或者"這種酒讓你徜徉在濃郁的橡果香味之中"。但是英國《新科學家》雜志10月30日刊登文章說，事實上，這些品酒專家并不比普通人"厲害"多少，同樣不能準確形容出葡萄酒的味道。 不過該雜志文章同時也說，品酒專家倒是的確對美酒的氣味有著超強的記憶力，而這對他們鑒賞葡萄酒是至關重要的。  新西蘭的研究者對11名品酒專家和11名品酒初學者的鑒賞能力進行了測試，讓他們分別識別形成葡萄酒香的12種成份。
隨后，研究者又讓被測試者識別另外的12種葡萄酒樣品，并讓他們說出先前的12種葡萄酒里是否包含有后來的12種。 該文章中說："試驗證明，在味道識別方面，品酒專家和品酒新手一樣并沒有什么過人之處。" "但是在試驗中，品酒專家的確能夠在兩組葡萄酒中準確地識別出相同的味道。這當然是有賴于他們對氣味本身的記憶力，而非僅僅是口頭上的功夫了。" 法國《好胃口》雜志的葡萄酒欄目編輯安東尼·迪亞斯·布盧說，記住各種葡萄酒的口感對于鑒賞葡萄酒是非常重要的。這是需要通過實踐才能掌握的技藝。 （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2002-11-04 01:00
