Women Smell Better Than Men

​Just imagine a bunch of women hanging out, drinking wine and discussing the different aromas and bouquet they detect.  Then, of course, they would start discussing what food would pair the best with the wine.   I’ve seen this happen again and again, and it doesn’t matter if they’re in a formal wine tasting or a social event.  Women in general tend to utilize their sense of smell and taste in more situations than a man would.  I think the perfume, soap and cosmetic industries can vouch for that.

Is it just a serendipitous phenomenon that women are sensitive to smell and taste or is it natural selection?   There have been numerous studies to support the fact that women generally have a better sense of smell than men (Nelson, 2000).   Of more significance, moms have an even better sense of smell than women who have never given birth.   Nature has created the ability for women to accurately recognize their young in the wild and to detect threats to their young through smell (Fleming et al, 93).  Odor identification is critical for maternal behavior and detecting nasty wines.   In retrospect, nature has created the best wine component and flaw detectors.    

Now when my kids whine about visiting another winery, I simply tell them that if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be able to derive so much pleasure from wine.   Now, go wait in the car.

---