The honeyed phrases flow like the wines they describe, but the truth is that wine experts often use a torrent of language to disguise the fact they can't always put a name to the aroma they are smelling.

Those wine buffs who say "you'll be impressed by its berried impudence" or urge us to "bask in its sumptuous oakiness" are actually no better at getting the right description than any other drinker, New Scientist magazine said Wednesday.

But the magazine said wine experts do have a strong memory for smells, which is crucial to their appreciation of the grape.

Researchers in New Zealand tested the ability of 11 wine experts and 11 novices to recognize and name 12 individual chemicals that are components of wine aromas.

They were then given an additional 12 samples and asked both groups to name them and say whether they were among the original 12.

"The wine experts proved just as inept as the novices at naming odors," the magazine said.

"But the experts did excel in recognizing whether an odor had been repeated -- a task that draws on their memory of smell itself, rather than their verbal ability." it added.

The ability to remember the experience of various wines is crucial, Anthony Dias Blue, wine editor of Bon Appetit magazine told New Scientist. That, he said, is just a matter of practice.

你能想象吗，当一串串天花乱坠的专业术语从那些品酒专家口中说出的时候，他们只是在试图用语言来遮掩一个事实：原来他们和常人无异，并不能确切对所鉴别的葡萄美酒说出个所以然来。

那些品酒专家通常会这样故弄玄虚地说道"这种浆果口味的酒味道十分独特，为你带来味觉上的冲击"，或者"这种酒让你徜徉在浓郁的橡果香味之中"。但是英国《新科学家》杂志10月30日刊登文章说，事实上，这些品酒专家并不比普通人"厉害"多少，同样不能准确形容出葡萄酒的味道。

不过该杂志文章同时也说，品酒专家倒是的确对美酒的气味有着超强的记忆力，而这对他们鉴赏葡萄酒是至关重要的。

新西兰的研究者对11名品酒专家和11名品酒初学者的鉴赏能力进行了测试，让他们分别识别形成葡萄酒香的12种成份。

随后，研究者又让被测试者识别另外的12种葡萄酒样品，并让他们说出先前的12种葡萄酒里是否包含有后来的12种。

该文章中说："试验证明，在味道识别方面，品酒专家和品酒新手一样并没有什么过人之处。"

"但是在试验中，品酒专家的确能够在两组葡萄酒中准确地识别出相同的味道。这当然是有赖于他们对气味本身的记忆力，而非仅仅是口头上的功夫了。"

法国《好胃口》杂志的葡萄酒栏目编辑安东尼·迪亚斯·布卢说，记住各种葡萄酒的口感对于鉴赏葡萄酒是非常重要的。这是需要通过实践才能掌握的技艺。