Senses dulled by COVID-19, French wine tasters fear for livelihood

French oenologist Sophie Pallas, who lost her senses of taste and smell after been infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and who now retrains her palate, holds a glass of wine as she poses during a wine tasting session in a shop in Paris, France, April 19, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

PARIS (Reuters) - The exotic fruits and fresh citrus notes leapt out of the Pyrenean white wine, but wine-taster Sophie Pallas said the delicate undertones of pineapple were harder to detect than they would have been before she fell ill with COVID-19.

Like so many infected with the coronavirus, Pallas lost her sense of taste and smell, a nightmare scenario for a master wine taster that has forced her to slowly retrain her nose and palate.