Swirl the glass a few times, put it under your nose and take a deep sniff. If the impressions seem partial, do not repeat immediately, because the sense of smell tires or adapts quite quickly. The best way is to put the glass away after the first sniff, and if necessary, to try smelling again an 20-30 seconds. The flavours of wine reflect its style and grape variety. If you detect some foreign odours, such as of mold, vinegar etc., these have to be noted down. After this stage the flavours have to be reconfirmed in the taste. This is a phase that should not be underestimated, as some wines can be overpraised due to their strong aromas. Swirling the wine in the glass and taking a sniff are only the beginning of the flavour analysis. The critical moment is when you take the wine in your mouth, roll it around with your tongue and then spit it. The smelling comes from inhaling and the critical evaluation - from exhaling through the nose. Therefore it is best to release the air through your nose after you have swallowed. Last but not least are the impression we get from the flavour of the empty glass. Smelling and inhaling are two different aspects, just like running and walking. When we breathe normally only small quanities of air reach the smell receptors' area. That is why a quick, deep and powerful inhaling is necessary. The best case scenario is to make the sniff actually direct the flavours to your smell receptors, so that they could be registered. This requires serious concentration and even closing your eyes could help. You should not hold the glass too close to your nose, or look at it. If your sense of smell gets dull, give it a rest by smelling a glass of pure water.

Be focused. A large part of the sygnals that your senses send to your brain for processing depends on filtration and selection of stimuli and information. If you are not focused, a substantial part of this information will be wasted. After taking the smell you should take some time to reflect and consider until you may form your initial impressions. As you get more experienced, you will realise in time that very often one sniff only should be enough to judge the wine, whereas more than 2 or 3 would prove totally useless.