A friend of mine who works in the retail wine business suffered the worst fate imaginable for somebody in his trade: He lost his sense of smell. One day he came down with a bad cold. When it finally lifted, he could no longer distinguish between a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc, or even a Chardonnay from a Pinot Noir. The aromas were gone. More than a year later, they've yet to return.

一個在葡萄酒零售業工作的朋友遭遇了該行業從業者能想象到的最糟糕的命運：他失去了嗅覺。有一天他得了重感冒。病情最終好轉以後，他卻再也分不清赤霞珠(Cabernet Sauvignon)和長相思(Sauvignon Blanc)，甚至連霞多麗(Chardonnay)和黑皮諾(Pinot Noir)都分不出來。酒的芳香聞不到了。一年多以後也沒恢複。

While my friend can now detect a few strong smells — such as perfume, hair-coloring chemicals and fish — he still can't make out the scent of a wine. It's an affliction he's managed to keep a secret from both co-workers and customers. When making a presentation during the tastings and dinners that are part of his job, he avoids talking about aromas or flavors, and focuses instead on the wine's history and production. So far, no one seems to have noticed. When he introduced some Napa Cabernets at a recent dinner, his recitation drew raves.

現在我的朋友能聞出幾種比較重的味道──比如香水、染發劑和魚──但dan他ta仍reng然ran聞wen不bu到dao酒jiu香xiang。這zhe是shi他ta一yi直zhi瞞man著zhe同tong事shi和he客ke戶hu的de一yi個ge痛tong苦ku的de秘mi密mi。工gong作zuo中zhong，在zai品pin酒jiu會hui和he晚wan宴yan上shang做zuo演yan示shi時shi，他ta會hui避bi免mian談tan到dao芳fang香xiang或huo味wei道dao，而er是shi重zhong點dian介jie紹shao酒jiu的de曆li史shi和he生sheng產chan。目mu前qian為wei止zhi似si乎hu還hai沒mei有you人ren注zhu意yi到dao。最zui近jin在zai某mou晚wan宴yan上shang介jie紹shao納na帕pa穀gu赤chi霞xia珠zhu(Napa Cabernets)時
，他準備的台詞引起了熱議。

What if the wines had been faulty or corked, I asked. My friend said that he had prepared for that possibility by having someone taste every wine before it was served. But he was growing increasingly desperate. He'd tried acupuncture, herbs and various medications. He'd consulted several doctors, including neurologists. Nothing had worked. It has left him unable to appreciate virtually anything about wine — and quite depressed.

我(wo)問(wen)他(ta)
，如(ru)果(guo)那(na)些(xie)酒(jiu)有(you)問(wen)題(ti)或(huo)者(zhe)有(you)木(mu)塞(sai)味(wei)兒(er)怎(zen)麼(me)辦(ban)。我(wo)的(de)朋(peng)友(you)說(shuo)，這(zhe)點(dian)他(ta)做(zuo)好(hao)了(le)準(zhun)備(bei)
，他(ta)請(qing)人(ren)在(zai)每(mei)瓶(ping)酒(jiu)上(shang)桌(zhuo)前(qian)進(jin)行(xing)了(le)品(pin)嚐(chang)。但(dan)他(ta)越(yue)來(lai)越(yue)絕(jue)望(wang)了(le)。他(ta)試(shi)過(guo)針(zhen)灸(jiu)、草藥和各種不同的藥物治療。他看過很多醫生，包括神經科醫生
，但沒有任何效果。這讓他無法鑒別葡萄酒的幾乎任何東西──也讓他相當沮喪。

As a professional wine journalist, I view my friend's story with equal parts sadness and dread. What if I were to wake up one morning in the same situation? Although we talk of the 'flavor' of wine or food, almost everything that we taste is actually what we smell. Aroma is nearly everything in a wine.

作zuo為wei專zhuan業ye葡pu萄tao酒jiu記ji者zhe
，我wo在zai同tong情qing我wo朋peng友you遭zao遇yu的de同tong時shi，也ye感gan到dao害hai怕pa。假jia如ru我wo某mou天tian早zao晨chen醒xing來lai也ye出chu現xian同tong樣yang的de狀zhuang況kuang怎zen麼me辦ban？雖sui然ran我wo們men總zong是shi說shuo葡pu萄tao酒jiu或huo食shi物wu的de“味道”

，但我們嚐到的幾乎所有東西實際上都是我們聞到的氣味。氣味幾乎是葡萄酒的全部。

I told my friend I'd try to help. So I did some research and located the Taste and Smell Clinic in Washington, D.C., which specializes in olfactory and gustatory problems. I emailed the contact on the website and soon received a response from the clinic's director, Dr. Robert Henkin. When I explained my friend's situation, Dr. Henkin told me it was called hyposmia. He said a reduced ability to smell was a 'hidden epidemic' and that over 21 million people have 'some aspect of smell loss.'

我告訴朋友我會試著幫他。所以我做了些調查
，找到了華盛頓特區的味覺與嗅覺診所(Taste and Smell Clinic)，這家診所擅長解決嗅覺和味覺方麵的問題。我在網站上通過郵件進行了聯係，不久就收到診所主任羅伯特·亨金(Robert Henkin)的回複。我說明了朋友的情況後，亨金博士告訴我這叫做嗅覺減退症。他說嗅覺減退是一種“隱蔽的流行病”，超過2,100萬人有“一定程度的嗅覺喪失”。

The late, great enologist and University of Bordeaux professor Emile Peynaud had much to say about the value of smell. In fact, in his seminal 1983 book, 'The Taste of Wine, ' Mr. Peynaud posited that a sense of smell 'may be ten thousand times more sensitive than that of taste.' Mr. Peynaud devoted an entire chapter of the book to smell and 'wine odors, ' which he even organized into 10 basic types: animal (i.e., meat), balsamic (e.g., pine), woody, chemical, spicy, empyreumatic (e.g., smoky, roasted notes), estery (byproducts of alcoholic fermentation), floral, fruity and vegetal.

已故的偉大釀酒師、波爾多大學(University of Bordeaux)教授埃米爾·佩諾(Emile Peynaud)對嗅覺的價值有發言權。事實上
，在他1983年出版的頗具開創性的書籍《葡萄酒的味道》(The Taste of Wine)裏，佩諾認為
，嗅覺“可能比味覺要敏感數萬倍”。佩諾在書中用整整一章的篇幅講嗅覺和“酒香”

，他甚至將它們分成了10種基本類型：動物性（也就是肉味），香脂（比如鬆脂），木香，化學品
，辣，焦味（比如煙熏和烘烤），酯香（酒精發酵的副產品）
，花香
，水果香和植物香。

Mr. Peynaud also defined the difference between 'aroma' and 'bouquet' — two words used interchangeably by most wine drinkers. Aroma, he wrote, is applicable to wines in their youth, when they are full of primary fruit. Bouquet best describes wines with age, in which the fruit is more subtle and other notes like earth and minerals come to the fore. (For the sake of simplicity, I will use the word aroma for all smells in this column.)

佩諾還對芳香(aroma)和酒香(bouquet)的定義進行了區分──daduoshuputaojiuyinyongzhezhelianggecidouhunzheyong。taxiedao，fangxiangshiyongyuguoxiangsiyidenianqingputaojiu。jiuxiangzuihaoyonglaixingrongchengshudeputaojiu，qiguoxiangbijiaoweiruo
，nituhekuangwuzhidengqitaxiangweikaishifuxianchulai。（為簡單起見
，本文中我會用芳香來籠統形容。）

Aromas reveal a great deal about a wine — starting with its grape variety. As anyone who's ever encountered a spicy, lychee-nut-laden Gewurztraminer knows, it's a grape that doesn't smell like anything else. The same holds true of a zingy, herby New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or, for that matter, a meaty Syrah. These wines will tell you who they are in a sniff.

一款葡萄酒的芳香可以說明很多東西──首先就是葡萄品種。喝過充滿辛辣和荔枝幹果味的瓊瑤漿(Gewurztraminer)的人都知道，這種葡萄的香氣是獨一無二的。有著令人愉悅的草藥味的新西蘭長相思也是一樣，還有帶肉味的西拉(Syrah)。嗅一嗅，就能知道這些是什麼酒。

Aromas can also reveal the age of the wine, the amount of acidity, alcohol and oak. Nearly every aspect of a wine can be found with your nose save for the five qualities you can find only with your tongue (salty, sour, sweet, bitter and umami).

芳香還能說明葡萄酒的年份、酸度、酒精度和橡木味。除了隻有舌頭能品嚐到的五種味道（鹹、酸、甜、苦和鮮）
，葡萄酒的任何味道都可以用鼻子嗅到。

And aroma can reveal if a wine is flawed. As Napa winemaker Aaron Pott said, 'Aromas are the key to the wine's health.' Mr. Pott relies a great deal on aromatic information when he's making a wine. 'A bad aroma is the first signal you get that something may be going terribly wrong, ' he said. Was it possible to make a great wine that doesn't have a great nose? (In wine-speak, 'nose' refers to aroma.) Absolutely not, said Mr. Pott. 'It would be like trying to make a supermodel without a head.'

從氣味可以聞出酒是不是有瑕疵。納帕穀釀酒師亞倫·波特(Aaron Pott)說過：“氣味是葡萄酒健康與否的關鍵。”波特釀酒時非常重視氣味信息。他說：“難聞的氣味是說明什麼東西嚴重有問題的首要跡象。”有沒有可能釀造一種氣味不好的好葡萄酒？波特說，絕對不行。他說：“就像是打造一個沒有頭的超模。”

An odd analogy, but a vivid picture: A wine with no nose is incomplete, although some wines don't rely as much on aromas as others. For example, I think Cabernet Sauvignon can get by on structure and texture, while Pinot Noir is utterly defined by its aroma — a vivid fragrance marked by fruit, herbs and earth.

很奇怪的比喻，但是卻很形象：沒mei有you氣qi味wei的de葡pu萄tao酒jiu是shi不bu完wan整zheng的de，盡jin管guan有you些xie酒jiu並bing不bu是shi很hen依yi賴lai於yu氣qi味wei。比bi如ru，我wo覺jiao得de赤chi霞xia珠zhu隻zhi要yao結jie構gou和he質zhi地di上shang可ke以yi就jiu行xing了le
，而er黑hei皮pi諾nuo則ze是shi完wan全quan由you氣qi味wei所suo主zhu宰zai──一種以水果、草藥和泥土味為標誌的生動的芳香。

Pinot Noir came to mind first for Bernard Sun, corporate beverage director of the Jean-Georges Restaurants group, during our recent aroma chat. Customers didn't really pay attention to a wine's smell unless they were true oenophiles, he said. To him, aroma meant a great deal — in fact, he always recalled wines by how they smelled. He named a few particularly memorable red Burgundies: Ponsot Clos de la Roche and Tollot-Beaut Chorey-les-Beaune.

最近聊到氣味的時候
，Jean-Georges Restaurants 集團企業餐飲總監伯納德·孫(Bernard Sun)首先就想到了黑皮諾。他說，顧客不會真正注意到一款酒的氣味，除非是真正的品酒行家。對他來說，氣味非常重要──事實上
，他總是會以氣味來記住那些酒。他提到了兩種讓他記憶特別深刻的勃艮第紅酒(red Burgundies)：Ponsot Clos de la Roche和Tollot-Beaut Chorey-les-Beaune。

The latter was one of his all-time favorites. A simple and light-bodied red wine overshadowed by wines from neighboring Burgundy villages Corton and Pommard, Chorey-les-Beaune is especially beloved for its aromas, said Mr. Sun. 'Chorey-les-Beaune doesn't have the texture or body of a Corton, but it has a beautiful nose, ' he said. 'The aroma is the part of the wine that really seduces you.' It was, he said, the sexiest part.

後者是他最愛的紅酒之一。孫說，簡單、酒體輕盈的Chorey-les-Beaune紅葡萄酒比不上鄰近的勃艮第科爾頓(Corton)和波瑪村(Pommard)酒莊所產的酒
，但它因為氣味而特別受青睞。他說：“Chorey-les-Beaune沒有科爾頓那樣的質地或酒體
，但氣味非常美。氣味是這款酒真正吸引你的地方。”他說氣味是最性感的部分。

I doubt my scent-challenged friend cares whether or not the aromas are sexy; I think he'd settle for any aromas at all. My friend truly loves wine. More than just his profession, it was a huge part of his life.

我覺得我那位嗅覺有問題的朋友不會在乎氣味是否性感；我覺得他根本不會滿足於任何氣味。我的朋友真心愛葡萄酒。它不僅僅是他的職業
，更是他生活中巨大的一部分。

I showed up at the Taste and Smell clinic to meet with Dr. Henkin. He led me into an office that looked like a large filing cabinet filled with manila folders. Viral infections like the one my friend suffered were particularly common, said Dr. Henkin. Other triggers included allergies, head injuries and dementia. People tend to notice the problem fairly quickly, but they are prone to put off seeking help. Dr. Henkin estimated the average person waited two and a half years after they'd lost their sense of smell to visit him. They kept hoping it would return.

我wo來lai到dao味wei覺jiao與yu嗅xiu覺jiao診zhen所suo見jian亨heng金jin博bo士shi。他ta帶dai我wo去qu了le一yi個ge像xiang是shi裝zhuang滿man馬ma尼ni拉la文wen件jian夾jia的de大da文wen件jian櫃gui的de辦ban公gong室shi。亨heng金jin博bo士shi說shuo
，我wo朋peng友you那na樣yang的de病bing毒du性xing感gan染ran特te別bie常chang見jian。其qi他ta的de引yin發fa因yin素su包bao括kuo過guo敏min
、頭tou部bu受shou傷shang和he癡chi呆dai症zheng等deng。人ren們men往wang往wang會hui相xiang當dang快kuai就jiu注zhu意yi到dao問wen題ti
，但dan卻que不bu肯ken馬ma上shang尋xun求qiu幫bang助zhu。亨heng金jin博bo士shi估gu計ji普pu通tong人ren會hui在zai失shi去qu嗅xiu覺jiao後hou兩liang年nian半ban才cai會hui去qu找zhao他ta看kan病bing。他ta們men總zong是shi抱bao有you嗅xiu覺jiao會hui自zi己ji回hui來lai的de希xi望wang。

Dr. Henkin offered to give me the same basic test that he gives every new patient to determine how much loss he or she has incurred. I had a small cold, I said nervously, suddenly afraid that my nose might be faulty.

亨(heng)金(jin)博(bo)士(shi)會(hui)給(gei)每(mei)位(wei)新(xin)病(bing)人(ren)進(jin)行(xing)基(ji)本(ben)測(ce)試(shi)，以(yi)判(pan)定(ding)病(bing)人(ren)失(shi)去(qu)了(le)多(duo)少(shao)嗅(xiu)覺(jiao)。他(ta)提(ti)出(chu)讓(rang)我(wo)做(zuo)同(tong)樣(yang)的(de)測(ce)試(shi)。我(wo)緊(jin)張(zhang)地(di)說(shuo)
，我(wo)得(de)了(le)輕(qing)微(wei)感(gan)冒(mao)。我(wo)突(tu)然(ran)很(hen)害(hai)怕(pa)我(wo)的(de)鼻(bi)子(zi)會(hui)有(you)問(wen)題(ti)。

He assured me that a cold wasn't an obstacle and escorted me into another file-stuffed room. This one contained a number of brown glass vials. Dr. Henkin told me to quickly sniff from a trio of vials and rate the strength of the aroma of the substance inside each one from 1-100; state whether it was cold, unpleasant or neutral; and to describe the character of the substance too (Was it too minty? Was it flowery or sweet?); and finally he asked me to name which one of the smells was unlike the other two. He repeated the process with a few other sets of three.

他(ta)保(bao)證(zheng)說(shuo)感(gan)冒(mao)不(bu)會(hui)妨(fang)礙(ai)測(ce)試(shi)，然(ran)後(hou)帶(dai)我(wo)進(jin)了(le)另(ling)外(wai)一(yi)個(ge)塞(sai)滿(man)文(wen)件(jian)的(de)房(fang)間(jian)。這(zhe)個(ge)房(fang)間(jian)有(you)很(hen)多(duo)棕(zong)色(se)玻(bo)璃(li)藥(yao)瓶(ping)。亨(heng)金(jin)博(bo)士(shi)讓(rang)我(wo)對(dui)著(zhe)三(san)個(ge)瓶(ping)子(zi)快(kuai)速(su)吸(xi)氣(qi)
，然(ran)後(hou)按(an)百(bai)分(fen)製(zhi)為(wei)瓶(ping)內(nei)物(wu)質(zhi)氣(qi)味(wei)的(de)強(qiang)度(du)進(jin)行(xing)打(da)分(fen)；說出氣味是冷
、難聞還是中性氣味
；還要描述物質的特征（是否薄荷味太濃？是花香味還是甜味？）

；最後他讓我選出一種不同於另外兩種的氣味。他用另外幾組氣味重複了這個過程。

I couldn't touch the bottles, nor sniff any vial more than once, unlike in a wine tasting, where you are free to smell a certain wine multiple times. I mentioned this to Dr. Henkin, hoping he'd allow an exception, but he was unmoved. The test was over in mere minutes.

wobunengpengpingzi，meigepingziyebunengwenliangciyishang。buxiangpinjiudeshihou，nikeyisuibianwenmouyizhongjiu。wogenhengjinboshitidaolezhedian
，xiwangtanengweiwopoli，dantabingbuweizhisuodong。ceshijifenzhongjiujieshule。

Dr. Henkin declared I was 'within the range of normal, ' looking at the calculations he'd scribbled on a piece of paper. If I hadn't passed, he said, he would give me more tests and perhaps treatment with oral Theophylline, a drug that's commonly used for suffers of asthma. This is Dr. Henkin's primary means of treatment, though it tends to work with only 50% to 60% of patients.

亨金博士看著他在紙上寫下的各種計算結果

，宣布我“處於正常範圍”。他說，如果我沒通過，他就會給我進行更多檢驗，也許還會讓我口服茶 (Theophylline)治療，這種藥通常是用來治療哮喘患者的。這是亨金博士的主要治療方法，但往往隻對50%到60%的病人有效。

Dr. Henkin has been working on something that could radically improve the odds of success: a nasal spray version of Theophylline, which he said could cure 'up to 80%' of his patients. But it was still in the development stages; there has only been one small clinical trial. If he lived 'another 10 years, ' the 83-year-old Dr. Henkin said, we could see millions cured. 'Just think of that!' he said in the passionate tone of a man whose 40 years of research may soon be brought to remarkable fruition.

亨金博士一直在研究可以大幅提高成功幾率的一種方法：茶 鼻噴劑，他說可以治愈“高達80%”的病人。但目前依然在開發階段，隻做了小規模的臨床試驗。83歲的亨金博士說，如果他能“再活10年”
，我們可以看到數百萬人被治愈。他以一個40年研究可能很快就會獲得矚目成就的人的興奮語調說道：“想想多讓人激動！”

I gave my friend Dr. Henkin's information. I don't know if he's called, but I hope for the sake of both my friend and millions of others that Dr. Henkin's potential solution can be realized sooner rather than later. After all, to quote Mr. Peynaud once more, 'The art of drinking, like the art of eating, is thus part of the art of living.'

我wo給gei了le我wo朋peng友you亨heng金jin博bo士shi的de聯lian係xi方fang式shi。我wo不bu知zhi道dao他ta有you沒mei有you打da電dian話hua，但dan為wei了le我wo的de朋peng友you

，以yi及ji數shu百bai萬wan和he他ta同tong病bing相xiang憐lian的de人ren，我wo希xi望wang亨heng金jin博bo士shi研yan究jiu的de治zhi療liao方fang法fa能neng夠gou早zao日ri取qu得de成cheng功gong。畢bi竟jing，再zai次ci借jie用yong佩pei諾nuo的de話hua來lai說shuo，“和吃的藝術一樣，飲酒的藝術也是生活的藝術”。