A bloodhound has such a keen nose that she has landed a job - as a wine tester.

Seven-year-old Louisa Bella has been trained to spot wine that has been tainted, even through the bottle. And her sensitive nose can also sniff out faulty corks, which her Australian owners Michelle Edwards and Daniel Fischl say saves them a fortune.

The two run boutique wine label, Linnaea, in Melbourne, and say that by utilising the talents of Louisa Belle, they are leading the way in a new wave of vineyard techniques. "She just has to sniff a barrel of wine to know whether it is off," said Mr Fischl. He said simple science had led him to get Louisa in on the act, rather than relying on human employees.

"Most wineries rely on a human nose but Belle's nose is 2,000 times more sensitive," he explained. Ms Edwards added: "It was time to put her to work because that's what she loves and she was very keen to put her nose into everything. After two weeks she could isolate the tainted cork within 30 seconds."

My dogs could lick the glasses clean...

Get it down you... the wine was all right wasn't it?

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