2017 saw the launch of the Profumi del Vino project with a Master’s course on the Fragrances of Wine in collaboration with AIS Friuli Venezia Giulia and the Agriturismo Juna (Aurisina, Trieste). The course was held by Roberto Filipaz and myself, with the support of Maddalena Giuffrida of Juna.

After this course, which saw the appreciation of around 60 participants in several sessions, the idea of finding botanical sensory correspondences with fine wines was taken up by the Ribolla di Oslavia Producers’ Association. During some of the annual days when the winery is open to journalists and experts, I hold workshops in which we explore unprecedented olfactory resonances with the wines produced in Oslavia.

In 2022, the idea of the olfactory workshop on wine perfumes became part of the Enjoy Collio Experience, organised by the Consorzio Collio in Cormons (GO).

The workshop takes place at Russiz Superiore di Marco Felluga, in Capriva del Friuli (GO), with myself and Isis Brunoni as facilitators for the group of journalists present.

Fabio Giavedoni, a Slow Food journalist, wrote the article ‘I met an aroma therapist and understood many things about the “subtraction” of wines’ following the meeting.

In July 2022, a new workshop was held, again for the Consorzio Collio, at Gradis’ciutta, with three sommeliers, Stefano Berzi, Stefano Franzoni and Fabio Gobbi.

After this experience, the journey resumes in spring 2023, with a meeting held for the Women of Wine of Friuli Venezia Giulia:

and with two meetings for the Aquileia DOC wines, in the Cà Bolani venue, on the occasion of the 1st Esplorâ for Friuli Aquileia DOC wines. The winning wines of the Selection were presented and I then held an olfactory workshop for oenologists, journalists, sommeliers and producers, in both Italian and English.

A nice article by Emanuele Giannone about these meetings came out, who wrote about the tasting:

“Fourteen o’clock, appointment with destiny: Elena Cobez, sensory analyst, aromatherapist and lecturer at the Italian Perfumery Institute in Milan, illustrates her selection of five wines in combination with some essences. She does not ask the guests for exact descriptions, only generic ones. In doing so, she rains down polite howitzers on the organoleptic fortifications of the guests, dismantles and expels them. Between those who say flowers and those who say spice randomly, her smile illuminates, benevolent and radiant, the gaps in the sensory instrumentarium of the average critic. Having done so, Cobez reveals which essences are involved, for which correspondences she has chosen them in combination with the wines, she asks for opinions, obtains confirmations and then gracefully goes out of the way, leaving everyone with that feeling of partial unfitness that it would be good to experience more often”.