If I said describe the smell of an apple pie, banana, or peach, most people would have vivid images and be able to describe them. These fruit or spice aromas, that you already know, are all, or in part, found in the different wines. Let's look at Riesling for example. Characteristic aromas are apple, lemon , honey and sometimes a hint of apricot, or peaches, if the grapes got very ripe. Quite simple really, you where not concentrating on the wine at hand, or maybe you had other distractions.
Most people taste consciously the very first bite or sip.
They are checking for defects and acceptable flavour or smell. In a world where there are hundreds of external distractions at any given time, we have learned to filter most of these sensations out. Unfortunately this has also spilled over into our Food and Drink Culture as well. So appreciating wine is nothing more than using the senses and memories you already have, consciously. Smelling the wine involves giving approaching the glass to your nose, noting when you first perceive aromas and what the intensity of the smell is.