Comments on: The Aromas of Horse Manure

By: Brandon

Brandon — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:37:09 +0000

I definitely don’t mind earthy(approaching barnyard) aromas & tastes, especially in pinot, but brett-bomb Bords or Rhones are a complete turnoff for me. Especially knowing it’s often the product of poor sanitation during winemaking. Brett masks terroir moreso than is an expression of it IMO…it’s a bacteria, not something the vines are pulling from the soil. Just my $.02. I love petrol in Riesling, btw.

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:16:09 +0000

I think all these aromas (maybe moreso the manure than the petrol) are the smells of terroir that probably turned us all off in the infancy of wine appreciation, but became beloved and interesting as we tried new things…

By: Ed Thralls

Ed Thralls — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:07:53 +0000

Josh: That’s where the “awesome!” in wine comes from, it’s variability and the subjectivity in those who drink it.

Karl: With every Riesling I am learning to become a fan of that petrol. Have many wine friends here in Atlanta who live/die by the Riesling and exposed me to this distinctive attribute

Benito: Not weird at all and it makes complete sense. I think if wine lovers learn to keep an open mind with anything they experience in a wine, they will be rewarded. Even if they don’t become a fan of that attribute, they know it now.

Kimberly: One of the things I also enjoy most about wine is it’s ability to bring forth great memories or help create new ones. I like how you describe it as “magical”… indeed

Thanks for all the great comments!!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:24:55 +0000

I have to agree with Benito about how pleasant an earthy, barnyard aroma can be. I spent some time on my cousin’s farm when I was very, very young, but mostly, I like the smell because I associate it with good memories of working in a restaurant in DC a few years ago. Some of us servers were trying some new wines that came in one day, and the restaurant wine manager told us to note the earthy, manure-like smell of a certain Pinot we were tasting, which happened to be very, very good. From then on, I associate that manure-like, or barnyard-like, smell with really good Pinot! In fact, now that I think of it, I know I’ve read recently how powerful sensory memories can be, and we all know how when we smell something good that reminds us of happy times, we are taken right back there, from just an aroma. I find that pretty magical.

By: Benito

Benito — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:52:02 +0000

This might be the weirdest comment I’ve ever left on a wine blog, but here goes:

I appreciate the earthy, barnyard aroma in some wines, and I think that folks who hate it don’t realize that there are lots of different kinds of manure, and of course, composted manure is going to smell more like mulch than anything else. If you’ve spent time on a farm or working in the garden these aromas can be very pleasant for you.

Also, once you’ve done a lot of wine tasting and have really developed your nose, it’s fun to go to the zoo. Suddenly every exhibit has its own unique aroma and it creates a whole other dimension to the experience.