Dear Mary,

I’ve heard that suggested many times too, but scientifically, it’s not totally supported by the research. The most up-to-date studies I have read suggest that women of childbearing age appear to have an enhanced ability to detect and discern smells, and that in turn may be a strong factor in their ability to name whatever it is they are tasting. The “childbearing age” adjective is important. After that age, women appear to have no preferential ability over men. All of this said, one of the most famous sensory scientists in the world—Dr. Ann Noble, retired from the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California at Davis—has also suggested that it may not be smelling or tasting ability per se that sometimes gives women an advantage. Dr. Noble thinks that because women have historically spent more time working with foods, they have had more time to practice their tasting abilities and the language used to describe flavors. Women, she has said, have “larger aroma libraries in their brains” and are therefore more adept at describing what they taste. Including what they taste in a glass of wine.

—Karen