Common essences found in all types of wine are captured in glass vials. Used by wine merchants, wineries and educators as a tool to develop senses for the complex components of wines. This Professional Set contains 24 essence vials, descriptive booklet, hinged rosewood box. 14" x 9-5/8" x 2-5/8" . The Essence Collection was designed to help you educate your palate in order to maximize your enjoyment of wine. The enclosed booklet gives a brief description of the contents of each of the vials in the collection. Pick a vial, and read the description in the booklet first. Then open the vial and hold it no closer than 6 to 8 inches from your nose. The smell will reach your nose in a second or two. Take your time in going from essence to essence. You might only want to do a few at a time. You may prefer to arrange a "group training" that will allow you to further challenge your olfactory abilities. After you and others have taken the complete "lesson," you can test one another. Have someone else open the vials (covering the number) while you, with open booklet in hand, try to match the essence with the page in the booklet. You will be quite surprised how well you will remember these smells. The next time you taste wine, you may want to test your memory first. Then, if necessary, go back and check the booklet and vials. One expert says, A large part of the wine taster"s skill comes from being able to develop some sort of classification system and then to associate words/categories with smells.