Scent & Savor at Home: How to Host Your Own Wine Sensory Experience

Scent & Savor: A Tour of Aromas and Taste Transformations is built around two of our wines. For the full experience at home, open:

• Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs — our finest sparkling wine

• The Famous Gate Pinot Noir — our flagship red, crafted from old-vine estate Pinot Noir

Looking for an everyday alternative? Our Estate Brut and Estate Pinot Noir work beautifully and are a great entry point into this experience.

The Food — No elaborate cooking required. The goal is to isolate specific flavor elements — salt, fat, acid, heat, and sweetness — and taste how each one transforms the wine in your glass.

Train Your Nose First

Before you take your first sip, give the wine a swirl and a deep inhale. Aromas are the wine's storyteller — they reveal the grape variety, the winemaking process, and even how the wine has aged over time. To train your nose, gather a few common pantry and kitchen items to smell alongside your glass.

In Le Rêve: ginger, poached pear, toasted almonds, brioche, lemon meringue
In The Famous Gate: rose petal, pomegranate, cranberry, raspberry, tea leaves, leather

Try grouping gathering items from your pantry or garden to smell alongside the wines:

• Primary Aromas come directly from the grape itself: citrus, florals, red berries
• Secondary Aromas emerge during the winemaking process: brioche, oak, vanilla
• Tertiary Aromas develop with age and time in bottle: nuts, mushroom, tobacco

There are no wrong answers — just observations. Once you start noticing, you can't stop.

Work through each pairing in order. Take a bite, chew, then sip. Notice what changs about your perception.

Salt

At the Château: Parker roll, unsalted butter, Maldon salt

At home: Any crusty bread + a pinch of flaky sea salt

Salty foods make wine taste smoother and more balanced. Take a bite, then try your sparkling wine — it should feel rounder and more approachable. This is one of the most noticeable transformations in the whole tasting.

Fat

At the Château: Whipped cottage cheese with grape compote

At home: Cream cheese or ricotta with a spoonful of jam or fruit preserves

Rich, fatty foods can overwhelm delicate flavors. The bright acidity and bubbles in Le Rêve cut right through, refreshing your palate between bites. Try the same bite with The Famous Gate — the tannins do the same work.

Acid

At the Château: Arugula, tomato, citrus vinaigrette

At home: Any simple green salad with a lemony dressing

The golden rule: match acid with acid. A high-acid food alongside a high-acid wine makes both taste brighter and more vibrant. Try it with a low-acid wine and it falls flat — you'll feel the difference immediately.

Heat

At the Château: Shrimp spring roll with sweet & spicy dipping sauce

At home: A few slices of something spicy — jalapeño, hot sauce on a cracker, spicy nuts

Spice is tricky with wine. High alcohol and firm tannins make heat feel more intense. The Famous Gate's soft tannins handle spice more gracefully than a bigger, bolder red would. See for yourself.

Sweet

At the Château: Pound cake with plum compote

At home: A plain butter cookie or fresh or preserved fruit

Sparkling wine and sweetness are natural partners — the acidity keeps things lively and prevents the pairing from becoming cloying. Try the same bite with The Famous Gate — the wine may taste drier than expected. The contrast is eye-opening.

We hope this inspires you to book your own reservation for our newest Scent & Savor tasting, or to recreate your own experience at home and enjoy with Domaine Carneros wines from afar!