Andrew, I’m interested as to why this question was not in my “questions for you” box.
Thanks to augustlan for directing me here.
First to answer the question directly: yes. Lots of people can. (although I’d probably say “velvet” was more of a texture than a flavour.)
When approaching a new wine (and I taste dozens every week) I first want to inspect the appearance. I’m looking for degree of clarity, intensity, colour, separation of colour. I’m looking for bubbles, deposits, checking the legs. I do this over a white background and in a very well lit space.
Next I’m going to evaluate the nose. I swirl on a level surface to incorporate some air into the wine I bring the glass up to my nose and with my mouth open I inhale lightly.(through the nose and the mouth) At this point I’m not trying to think of things I can name that I smell. I’m just smelling. If the guy next to you starts spouting a laundrylist of all the things he can smell at this point you know he’s green. Slow your roll there, bud. What I am looking for is the condition of the nose and its intensity. Am I getting any signs that it is showing development (ageing). Now I’ll swirl and smell again. Now I am looking to detect any aromas I can name. I’ll start with fruits and begin with just generalisations: red fruits? black fruits?(for red wines) citrus fruits? apple/pear (for whites) dried? (raisin-y wines are distinct on the nose.) Next I’ll attempt to detect any spice: clove, cinnamon, nuts, pepper, smoke, leather. Floral elements: rose petal, violets? Vegetal elements: asparagus, green pepper? (At this point I’m just barely thinking about what oak treatment I can detect. Unless it’s overpowering, I’ll come back to it later.) I run down the list in my head. And I might do this two or three more times, always taking notes. I have notes for every wine I’ve tasted (for work) in the last three years.
Now it’s time to taste. Swirl again. I sip enough wine into my mouth to fill it at a relaxed state and, once it’s there, draw in some air across my tongue. I roll the wine all around my mouth, on all sides of my tongue, between my lips and teeth, hold it there for about 5 seconds and then spit. (I can taste flavours better if I spit.) While I’m rolling it around my palate I’m looking for level of sweetness (and by that I mean actual sugar, not fruit), acidity, and levels (and intensity, and integration,and type) of tannin (which is a chemical reaction in the mouth, not a flavour). After it’s out of my mouth I’m thinking about the body, intensity of flavour, and the level of alcohol (I can usually guess this to within .5%)
Now I taste again. Same method. Now I’m looking for the flavours I can distinguish. Again, I start with generalisations and narrow down from there. I’m looking for fruits, nuts, spices, leather, tar, tobacco, mint, eucalyptus, smoke, flowers, coffee, candy, vegetables, herbs, hay, etc. And I start to think about oak. (which I’ll go into at another time.)
I’ll taste one last time and this time I concentrate only on the texture, finish and its length. All the while taking notes, taking notes. Before I write my final description I try to narrow the aromas and flavours down more specifically. Let’s say I tasted cherry. Was it wild cherry? Black cherry?
It sounds like a lot, but the whole process takes less than a minute. It is something that I have learned to do with repeated practice. You can learn it, too. I suggest you taste one dozen wines a week for two years.~
@lilikoi: “notes of cocoa” are very common on new world Cabernet Sauvignon.
@andrew: Your friend is indeed wise. The only caveat I have with what he told you is oak. Every novice at one point says they taste oak, only to find that the wine saw no oak treatment.
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