Le Nez Du Vin

[Tabby]

I saw these kits just recently in a wine accessory catalogue. They consist of tiny little bottles containing common wine aromas (x54 for larger kits, x25, and x12 for the smallest kit). I don't know how familiar you may be with them, but the larger kit contains "54 aromas encapsulated in individually numbered bottles to smell and to memorise; A separate checklist of the aromas in order to enable you to learn and identify them blind; 54 illustrated cards that describe the individual aromas in detail and indicate which typify which wines....." etc etc.

Now, apart from initially giving me a good laugh, I was wondering what your opinions would be on such kits? A complete waste of time when you should be drinking the real thing and not sniffing from miniscule bottles of fluid, or a valid means of increasing your wine knowledge without bothering your wine merchant?

By the way, these kits are NOT cheap. The 54 bottle kit costs (in English currency) £200.00!!! And these "bottles" are teeny tiny wee critters...

Your thoughts?