Learn Italian: L'assaggiatore annusa il bicchiere con il vino. - The taster smells the glass with the wine.

L'assaggiatore annusa il bicchiere con il vino.

The taster smells the glass with the wine.

Breakdown of L'assaggiatore annusa il bicchiere con il vino.

Questions & Answers about L'assaggiatore annusa il bicchiere con il vino.

Why doesn't this sentence use 'sapere di' if the lesson is about sensory verbs?

The phrase sapere di describes an object emitting a smell or taste (e.g., Il bicchiere sa di vino means "The glass smells of wine"). In this sentence, the taster is actively sniffing the glass. For the deliberate physical action of smelling, Italian uses the verb annusare.

Could I use the general sensory verb 'sentire' instead of 'annusare'?

You could say sente il bicchiere, but it loses some precision. Sentire is a versatile verb that can mean to hear, feel, smell, or taste. Annusare specifically means to bring something to your nose and deliberately sniff it, which is exactly what a wine taster does.

Is 'assaggiatore' the standard word for a professional wine taster?

It is a very common word that comes directly from assaggiare (to taste or sample food/drink). However, in the context of professional wine tasting, you will also frequently hear the more specialized term degustatore (or sommelier, which Italian uses just like English does).

Why is it written as 'con il vino' rather than the combined form 'col vino'?