Smell analysis is performed using the sense of smell, and in particular by stimulation of the nose mucosa. It represents the second stage of sense organ analysis and it aims to discover all the smell background of the wine, very rich in variety.

The main parameters to be evaluated are:

* Intensity, determined by the strength of the smell impact to the nose mucosa, regardless of the number of flavors.
* Complexity, determined by the variety and by the number of smell nuances;
* Quality, representing the general evaluation on everything that the wine can show in the glass.
* Aroma description. The smell background of the wine is formed by three groups of smells: primary, secondary and tertiary ones,

1. primary aromas are those that derive directly from the vineyard, and are mostly present in the grape skin. As chemicals the are classified as terpenes. For instance, the wine obtained from aromatic grapes (gewurztraminer, malvasie, moscato, brachetto) offers taste and flavor very similar to the grape's taste.

2. secondary aromas are the ones formed during the fermentation process, as for instance the flowery aroma and the fruity aroma; obviously these aromas do not derive from flowers or fruits mixed with the wine, but are produced by chemical reactions during the fermentation.

3.tertiary aromas are the ones formed during maturation and aging. Barrel aging is essential to the formation of tertiary aromas. The most important factors are aging duration, wood origin and wood toasting, that enrich the aromas.