Swirl, sniff, sip: Covid worries sommeliers

HYDERABAD:   The five ‘F’s of wine tasting are see, swirl, sniff, sip and savour. Sommeliers do this for a living but what happens when they lose their sense of smell and taste to Covid? Although the loss is temporary, the thought of it is devastating for a few.

We speak to a few sommeliers in the city and they have described it as one of the most unfortunate experiences that someone in this profession can go through. Madhu Rajigani, project manager at Tulleeho, Certified Wine and Spirits Educator, says how difficult it has been for his colleagues, who have beat Covid, to get back their complete sense of smell and taste.

“A sommelier relies on only two skills — nosing and tasting. Contracting Covid-19 is like losing their armour. We have a few people in the industry who were infected and are still struggling to gain back their nosing and tasting skills. My colleagues, for instance, are still not back to picking up their nosing skills.” Spoorthy Kondapeneni, an MD at the Liquid Art Bar School, speaks about the importance of smell and taste for a sommelier. “Thank god I haven’t caught Covid.

And, I don't even want to, ever. The alcobrev industry runs on the nose and the mouth, and these two are drastically affected when one catches Covid. Even the medication, which contains steroids, affect the sense of smell and taste. This being the divine skill of a sommelier, it has many in the industry in a bad place,” she says. A sommelier is trained to notice the minutest of differences in smell and taste which distinguish one wine from the other.

Their dedication to their profession is such that many do not even use perfumes or smoke. “They sacrifice simple joys of life to ensure that these do not interfere with their pallet and nasal tract. We avoid any kind of strong smell, even a moisturiser,” says Spoorthy.

On the other hand, sommelier Suryaveer Singh is trying to stay positive and does not believe that Covid can have a long-lasting impact on the two senses. “There’s no doubt that these two senses are paramount in this industry. If you can’t taste and smell, how will you describe a wine. Covid can’t do permanent damage, but yes, the senses many be compromised for a couple of months,” he says.