Nose at Your Own Risk

Ok all you English majors who love wine, this is for you. The next time you find yourself sniffing a wine that smells like a goat, you can oh-so-casually toss off one of the following which, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, are all synonyms for unpleasant odors. And yes, one of these bad smell words does mean “bad goaty” as opposed to “bad garlicky” which is also in this list: outstink, nidor, noisome, mephitic, alliaceous, stinkeroo, hircine, malodorous, reekingly, kakidrosis.

If they aren’t winemakers, most people who work professionally in the wine industry are sommeliers.

Answer: False.

The wine industry in the U.S. alone is a huge industry valued at close to $20 billion and employing some 2 million people. Within the industry are dozens of occupations from finance and human resources, to viticulture and quality control, to sales and marketing, to education and communications. Most of these jobs don’t require a sommelier certification. That said, the people who buy wine professionally and create and manage wine programs in the hospitality industry (sommeliers), are a key part of the wine industry. Currently, there are some 11,000 people who have passed the Certified Sommelier Examination and 172 who are certified at the highest level, as “Master Sommeliers” by the Court of Master Sommeliers in the Americas.

1973

The year Riedel released its “Sommeliers Series” stemware. This iconic glassware line was the first ever to be based on different wine varietals.

Nose at Your Own Risk

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