Fragrance Ingredients, Wine and Chocolate Pairing: Sniffapalooza Event Report + Back Label Perfume by Sue Phillips of Scenterprises

karen dubin Patrick Watson  sue phillips

Karen Dubin Left, Patrick Watson, Sue Phillips at the Sniffapalooza master class; Scenterprises Back Label Perfume

On Sunday, February 8th, 2015 Sniffapalooza held their third in a series of Master Class Scentsory Pairings created to explore the olfactive universe with like minded guests. Having attended the first Master Class (with KELLY & Jones Fragrances) I was most definitely looking forward to the day’s event.  Held at Back Label Wine Merchants located at 111 West 20th Street in the heart of Chelsea, the store has gained a wonderful reputation for their thoughtfully curated selections and their weekly wine classes and education seminars.  We were greeted by Patrick Watson (co-owner) who offered us all a glass of the 2012 Schloss Muhlenhof, a deliciously drinking German sparkling wine to prepare our taste buds for the Master Class. The Master Class included Sue Phillips, a fragrance industry expert who has developed scents for Avon, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Trish McEvoy amongst others.  Sue is the founder of Scenterprises and The Scentarium, the newest perfumery and interactive fragrance space which has become a destination for education, and custom fragrance creation.  Mademoiselle Miel, founded in 2011 by Susan Brown, is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Referred to as the Beekeeping Chocolatier, they have their own hives and uses honey instead of sugar to create their distinctive Honey Bon Bons. She was awarded 2014 Top 10 Chocolatier of North America. Susan was not able to attend but notes on the artisanal delicacies were provided and presented by chocolate loving Team Karen! Presently the chocolates are available in Minnesota and online.

sniffapalooza sensory pairings wine chocolate

Karen Dubin led off the Master Class giving insight behind the planning, how the collaborators were chosen and the trial and errors needed to find the right matches. Each place setting were arranged (in order) with wine glasses, a plate with the chocolates and sensory pairing notes.  For each of the six matches, each presenter preceded with a detailed explanation on their respective discipline. We were instructed by Patrick to first smell the scented blotter strip, then sniff the wine, then dip the strip around the inside of the rim (not in the wine!) and t assess them together. Then sip and have a bite of the chocolate and judge the sensory experience created.

fragrance ingredients wine  chocolate

The Scentsory Pairings: Fragrance ingredients, wine and chocolate

The six pairings in order:

Lemon Pistachio captures flavors of the Mediterranean (nice zest!) and Patrick chose the 2012 Chateau Pajzos Tokaji Furmint (an aromatic wine with hints of citrus, green apple and apricot) with Sue's beautifully crafted Citrus Blend (Bergamot and Lemon). A wonderful start!

Juniper was refreshing, brisk with a woody taste teamed up with (of course!) a Perry's Tot Gin and Tonic which is made in Williamsburg, NY and bottled at the original Navy Strength, 100 UK proof! Sue brought out her Tonic Sport that stood right up to it. Very masculine. She told us that juniper as a scent is appreciated more stateside then overseas.

Apricot Cardamon pairs tangy orange-sweetened apricot with spice of cardamom oil. The Bera 2013 Brachetto from Piedmont is a red sparkler that is fragrant and aromatic. To that Sue put a Fruit Blend w/ a Touch of Spice. Our senses were now bordering Prada Candy! The high quality of her blends keeps the fruit (apricot and peach) in line with nice honey.

Pure Rose incorporates rare 100% grade therapeutic-grade rose oil from the Damask Rose of Bulgaria (it takes 30 roses to make a single drop). The Heron 2012 Pinot Noir had clean aromas with nice structure that kept the dark cherries from getting tart. The Floral Blend surprised us all. Rose perfumes can be fusty and are ubiquitious. Not so with Sue's Rose Blend, which incorporated clove and violet leaf. Just beautiful!

Cherry Almond uses Michigan cherries and pure almond extract from California almonds. A Bussola 2010 Valpolicella Ripasso was rich with licorice dark berries and spice flavors. The Vanilla Blend is plush with the addition of tonka.

Smoked Honey with Scotch (honey smoked over wood ) would match up to any summer BBQ! Patrick hit a home run with the crowd with the Catskill Provisions NY Honey Whiskey! He sold out his allotment. Even the non scotch lovers were buying! The Sweet, Smoky Blend just wrapped itself around the two and closed out the event in grand style!  Thank you Team Karen for a fabulous sensory experience!

Hernando Courtright, Guest Contributor and Event Reporter

sue phillips of scenterprises

Sue Phillips of Scenterprises NYC

What would a Sniffaplooza event be without a fragrance. Sue Phillips created a special perfume for Back Label.  A sparkling citrus, vibrant juniper and luscious fruity blend combined with exotic Moroccan rose with cognac & clove & violet leaves, with base notes of smooth vanilla and sensual honey & patchouli notes. Thanks to Sue we have 15ml of this unique fragrance blend (a $55 value) for any US reader. To be eligible please leave a comment with what spirit and cuisine paring sounds the best to you and what you enjoyed learning from this report. Draw closes February 16, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

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12 comments

  • Most wonderful article! Juniper my favorite note mentioned and I loved the pairing with gin. Match made in heaven. As a manhattanite and Hendricks aficionado I look forward to trying this new brand of local gin from upstate NY!

  • I enjoyed learning that such an event exists! I’ve heard of a perfume/chocolate event in San Francisco, and of wine/chocolate pairings, but not combining all three at once. The very first pairing, the Lemon Pistachio chocolate with the Tokaji wine and Citrus Blend scent, sounds very appealing. I’m in the US.

  • This sounds like an amazing time – great smells and tastes… chocolate, wine, perfume? Amazeballs. Though they all sounds great – I think the Apricot Cardamom pairing sounds the best, closely followed by the Lemon Pistachio. MMM. Thanks for the draw, I’m in the US!

  • The pure rose and Pinot sounds like my idea of heaven! I’ve never thought of doing wine pairings with ‘fume and liked learning the idea of dipping the strips into the wine to pair. I’m in the USA.

  • This is the second time today I’ve read about this! It all sounds wonderful. Sorry, I can’t decide. The rose/wine combo and the Scotch both sound extraordinary!! Thanks for letting us have some vicarious pleasure. In the US & cheers!

  • Lovely article Hernando! Thanks to you and Michelyn for covering it. I always love to participate in multi-scent-sory events as I truly believe that it is a wonderful way to celebrate the senses. It’s a way to showcase beautiful fragrances in the most educational “scentertaining” training” way for fragrance lovers to enjoy all sensory treats!
    It was a lovely event and thrilled that everyone had a great time!

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i will go for Heron 2012 Pinot Noir with Rose Blend among these though Patrick’s pairing for Lemon Pistachio is also enticing. thanks for the lovely draw. I am in the US..I must disclose I don’t drink alcohol so I made a guess which wine aroma I may like more 🙂

  • Smoked honey sounds the best to me- but I love honey, especially in perfumes! I love reading about pairings and the way different things link, so this was fun. I’m in the US.

  • Apricot cardamom appeals to the gourmand lover in me. The event seems like it was blissful sensory overload and I hope to participate in a Sniffapalooza event in the near future! I’m in the US. Thanks!

  • Wow, Smoked Honey jumps out immediately as the one I’d grab. Scotch is awesome. But Apricot cardamom appeals to me nearly as strongly. Guess I go for the sweetest ones!
    Black Label sounds like it’s made of many lovely layers, like a black that is mixed together from many vibrant colors. Thank you for the article and draw.
    That event sounds like sensory overload in the best way! And now I want chocolate. Mademoiselle Miel sounds awesome and I really enjoyed learning about it.
    USA

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    The spirit and cuisine paring of Juniper and a Perry’s Tot Gin and Tonic sounds the best to me. I enjoyed learning about the wine, chocolates and sensory pairing notes.