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Wine tasting

Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional wine tasters (such as sommeliers or buyers for retailers) use a constantly evolving specialized terminology which is used to describe the range of perceived flavors, aromas and general characteristics of a wine. More informal, recreational tasting may use similar terminology, usually involving a much less analytical process for a more general, personal appreciation.[1]

Monk Testing Wine by Antonio Casanova y Estorach (c. 1886)

Results that have surfaced through scientific blind wine tasting suggest the unreliability of wine tasting in both experts and consumers, such as inconsistency in identifying wines based on region and price.[2]

History edit

The Sumerian stories of Gilgamesh in the 3rd millennium BCE differentiate the popular beers of Mesopotamia, as well as wines from Zagros Mountains or Lebanon.[3] In the fourth century BCE, Plato listed the main flavors of wine, and classified the aromas as "species", or families.

Aristotle proposed a sensory tasting defined by the four elements (air, water, fire, and earth) further deepened by the Roman philosopher Lucretius in the first century BCE.

Although the practice of tasting is as old as the history of wine, the term "tasting" first appeared in 1519.[4] The methodology of wine tasting was formalized by the 18th century when Linnaeus, Poncelet, and others brought an understanding of tasting up to date.

In 2004, Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their contribution to the knowledge of the senses of taste and smell.[5]

Tasting stages edit

 
Ready tasting room of port wine in a wine cellar of a producer

The results of the four recognized stages to wine tasting:

– are combined in order to establish the following properties of a wine:

  • complexity and character
  • potential (suitability for aging or drinking)
  • possible faults

A wine's overall quality assessment, based on this examination, follows further careful description and comparison with recognized standards, both with respect to other wines in its price range and according to known factors pertaining to the region or vintage; if it is typical of the region or diverges in style; if it uses certain wine-making techniques, such as barrel fermentation or malolactic fermentation, or any other remarkable or unusual characteristics.[7]

 
Wine tasting at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley

Whereas wines are regularly tasted in isolation, a wine's quality assessment is more objective when performed alongside several other wines, in what are known as tasting "flights". Wines may be deliberately selected for their vintage ("horizontal" tasting) or proceed from a single winery ("vertical" tasting), to better compare vineyard and vintages, respectively. Alternatively, in order to promote an unbiased analysis, bottles and even glasses may be disguised in a "blind" tasting, to rule out any prejudicial awareness of either vintage or winery.

Blind tasting edit

To ensure impartial judgment of a wine, it should be served blind – that is, without the taster(s) having seen the label or bottle shape. Blind tasting may also involve serving the wine from a black wine glass to mask the color of the wine. A taster's judgment can be prejudiced by knowing details of a wine, such as geographic origin, price, reputation, color, or other considerations.

Scientific research has long demonstrated the power of suggestion in perception as well as the strong effects of expectancies. For example, people expect more expensive wine to have more desirable characteristics than less expensive wine. When given wine that they are falsely told is expensive they virtually always report it as tasting better than the very same wine when they are told that it is inexpensive.[8] French researcher Frédéric Brochet "submitted a mid-range Bordeaux in two different bottles, one labeled as a cheap table wine, the other bearing a grand cru etiquette." Tasters described the supposed grand cru as "woody, complex, and round" and the supposed cheap wine as "short, light, and faulty."

Similarly, people have expectations about wines because of their geographic origin, producer, vintage, color, and many other factors. For example, when Brochet served a white wine he received all the usual descriptions: "fresh, dry, honeyed, lively." Later he served the same wine dyed red and received the usual red terms: "intense, spicy, supple, deep."[9]

One of the most famous instances of blind tasting is known as the Judgment of Paris, a wine competition held in 1976 where French judges blind-tasted wines from France and California. Against all expectations, California wines bested French wines according to the judges, a result which would have been unlikely in a non-blind contest. This event was depicted in the 2008 movie Bottle Shock.

Price bias edit

Another well-publicized double-blind taste test was conducted in 2011 by Prof. Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire. In a wine tasting experiment using 400 participants, Wiseman found that general members of the public were unable to distinguish expensive wines from inexpensive ones.[10] "People just could not tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine".[11]

Color bias edit

In 2001, the University of Bordeaux asked 54 undergraduate students to taste two glasses of wine: one red, one white. The participants described the red as "jammy" and commented on its crushed red fruit. The participants failed to recognize that both wines were from the same bottle. The only difference was that one had been colored red with a flavorless dye.[12][13]

Geographic origin bias edit

For six years, Texas A&M University invited people to taste wines labeled "France", "California", "Texas", and while nearly all ranked the French as best, in fact, all three were the same Texan wine. The contest is built on the simple theory that if people do not know what they are drinking, they award points differently than if they do know what they are drinking.[14]

Vertical and horizontal tasting edit

Vertical and horizontal wine tastings are wine tasting events that are arranged to highlight differences between similar wines.[citation needed]

  • In a vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. This emphasizes differences between various vintages.
  • In a horizontal tasting, the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries. Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles.

Tasting flights edit

Tasting flight is a term used by wine tasters to describe a selection of wines, usually between three and eight glasses, but sometimes as many as fifty, presented for the purpose of sampling and comparison.[citation needed]

Tasting notes edit

A tasting note is a taster's written testimony about the aroma, taste identification, acidity, structure, texture, and balance of a wine. Online wine communities like Bottlenotes allow members to maintain their tasting notes online and for the reference of others.[citation needed]

Serving temperature edit

The temperature that a wine is served at can greatly affect the way it tastes and smells. Lower temperatures emphasize acidity and tannins while muting the aromatics. Higher temperatures minimize acidity and tannins while increasing the aromatics.

Wine type Examples Temperature (Celsius) Temperature (Fahrenheit)
Light-bodied sweet dessert wines Trockenbeerenauslese, Sauternes 6–10 °C 43–50 °F
White sparkling wines Champagne, other sparkling wine 6–10 °C 43–50 °F
Aromatic, light-bodied white Riesling, Sauvignon blanc 8–12 °C 46–54 °F
Red sparkling wines Sparkling Shiraz, some frizzante Lambrusco 10–12 °C 50–54 °F
Medium-bodied whites Chablis, Semillon 10–12 °C 50–54 °F
Full-bodied dessert wines Oloroso Sherry, Madeira 8–12 °C 46–54 °F
Light-bodied red wines Beaujolais, Provence rosé 10–12 °C 50–54 °F
Full-bodied white wines Oaked Chardonnay, Rhone whites 12–16 °C 54–61 °F
Medium-bodied red wines Grand Cru Burgundy, Sangiovese 14–17 °C 57–63 °F
Full-bodied red wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo based wines 15–18 °C 59–64 °F

WSET recommendations edit

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust uses the following recommendations for serving temperatures:[15]

  • Sweet wines e.g. Sweet Muscats, Late-harvest wines (well chilled) 6 °C (43 °F) to 8 °C (46 °F)
  • Sparkling wines e.g. Prosecco, Champagne (well chilled) 6 °C (43 °F) to 10 °C (50 °F)
  • Light/medium-bodied whites e.g. Fino Sherry, Muscadet (chilled) 7 °C (45 °F) to 10 °C (50 °F)
  • Medium/full-bodied oaked whites e.g. White Burgundy (lightly chilled) 10 °C (50 °F) to 13 °C (55 °F)
  • Light-bodied reds e.g. Beaujolais, Valpolicella, Bardolino (lightly chilled) 13 °C (55 °F)
  • Medium/full-bodied reds e.g. Vintage Port, Rioja, Bordeaux, Burgundy (room temperature) 15 °C (59 °F) to 18 °C (64 °F)

Glassware edit

The shape of a wineglass can have a subtle impact on the perception of wine, especially its bouquet.[16][17][18] Typically, the ideal shape is considered to be wider toward the bottom, with a narrower aperture at the top (tulip or egg-shaped). Glasses which are widest at the top are considered the least ideal. Many wine tastings use ISO XL5 glasses,[citation needed] which are "egg"-shaped. The effect of glass shape does not appear to be related to whether the glass is pleasing to look at.[18]

 
INAO official wine tasting glass.

The glass of reference is the INAO wine glass, a tool defined by specifications of the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR), which was adopted by INAO as the official glass in 1970, received its standard AFNOR in June 1971 and its ISO 3591 standard in 1972.[19] The INAO has not submitted a file at the National Institute of Industrial Property, it is therefore copied en masse and has gradually replaced other tasting glasses in the world.[20]

The glass must be lead crystal (9% lead). Its dimensions give it a total volume between 210 ml and 225 ml, they are defined as follows:

  • Diameter of the rim: 46 mm
  • Calyx height: 100 mm
  • Height of the foot: 55 mm
  • Shoulder diameter: 65 mm
  • Foot diameter: 9 mm
  • Diameter of the base: 65 mm

The opening is narrower than the convex part so as to concentrate the bouquet. The capacity is approximately 215 ml, but it is intended to take a 50 ml pour.[21] Some glasses of a similar shape, but with different capacities, may be loosely referred to as ISO glasses, but they form no part of the ISO specification.

Wine color edit

Without having tasted the wines, one does not know if, for example, a white is heavy or light. Before taking a sip, the taster tries to determine the order in which the wines should be assessed by appearance and aroma alone. Heavy wines are deeper in color and generally more intense on the nose.[citation needed] Sweeter wines, being denser, leave thick, viscous streaks (called legs or tears) down the inside of the glass when swirled.[citation needed]

Process edit

 
Judging color is the first step in tasting wine.

There are five basic steps in tasting wine: color, swirl, smell, taste, and savor.[22] These are also known as the "five S" steps: see, swirl, sniff, sip, savor. During this process, a taster must look for clarity, varietal character, integration, expressiveness, complexity, and connectedness.[23]

A wine's color is better judged by putting it against a white background. The wine glass is put at an angle in order to see the colors. Colors can give the taster clues to the grape variety, and whether the wine was aged in wood.

Characteristics assessed during tasting edit

Varietal character describes how much a wine presents its inherent grape aromas.[23] A wine taster also looks for integration, which is a state in which none of the components of the wine (acid, tannin, alcohol, etc.) is out of balance with the other components. When a wine is well balanced, the wine is said to have achieved a harmonious fusion.[23]

Another important quality of the wine to look for is its expressiveness. Expressiveness is the quality the "wine possesses when its aromas and flavors are well-defined and clearly projected."[24] The complexity of the wine is affected by many factors, one of which may be the multiplicity of its flavors. The connectedness of the wine, a rather abstract and difficult to ascertain quality, describes the bond between the wine and its land of origin (terroir).[23]

Connoisseur wine tasting edit

A wine's quality can be judged by its bouquet and taste. The bouquet is the total aromatic experience of the wine. Assessing a wine's bouquet can also reveal faults such as cork taint; oxidation due to age, overexposure to oxygen, or lack of preservatives; and wild yeast or bacterial contamination, such as those due to Acetobacter or Brettanomyces yeasts. Although low levels of Brettanomyces aromatic characteristics can be a positive attribute, giving the wine a distinctive character, generally it is considered a wine spoilage yeast.

The bouquet of wine is best revealed by gently swirling the wine in a wine glass to expose it to more oxygen and release more aromatic[25] etheric, ester, and aldehyde molecules that comprise the essential components of a wine's bouquet.[22] Sparkling wine should not be swirled to the point of releasing bubbles.[26]

Pausing to experience a wine's bouquet aids the wine taster in anticipating the wine's flavors. The "nose" of a wine – its bouquet or aroma – is the major determinate of perceived flavor in the mouth. Once inside the mouth, the aromatics are further liberated by exposure to body heat, and transferred retronasally to the olfactory receptor site. It is here that the complex taste experience characteristic of a wine actually commences.

Thoroughly tasting a wine involves perception of its array of taste and mouthfeel attributes, which involve the combination of textures, flavors, weight, and overall "structure". Following appreciation of its olfactory characteristics, the wine taster savors a wine by holding it in the mouth for a few seconds to saturate the taste buds. By pursing one's lips and breathing through that small opening, oxygen passes over the wine and releases even more esters. When the wine is allowed to pass slowly through the mouth it presents the connoisseur with the fullest gustatory profile available to the human palate.

The acts of pausing and focusing through each step distinguishes wine tasting from simple quaffing. Through this process, the full array of aromatic molecules is captured and interpreted by approximately 15 million olfactory receptors,[25] comprising a few hundred olfactory receptor classes. When tasting several wines in succession, however, key aspects of this fuller experience (length and finish, or aftertaste) must necessarily be sacrificed through expectoration.

Although taste qualities are known to be widely distributed throughout the oral cavity, the concept of an anatomical "tongue map" yet persists in the wine tasting arena, in which different tastes are believed to map to different areas of the tongue. A widely accepted example is the misperception that the tip of the tongue uniquely tells how sweet a wine is and the upper edges tell its acidity.[25]

Scoring wine edit

As part of the tasting process, and as a way of comparing the merits of the various wines, wines are given scores according to a relatively set system. This may be either by explicitly weighting different aspects, or by global judgment (although the same aspects would be considered). These aspects are 1) the appearance of the wine, 2) the nose or smell, 3) the palate or taste, and 4) overall.[27] Different systems weight these differently (e.g., appearance 15%, nose 35%, palate 50%). Typically, no modern wine would score less than half on any scale (which would effectively indicate an obvious fault). It is more common for wines to be scored out of 20 (including half marks) in Europe and parts of Australasia, and out of 100 in the US. However, different critics tend to have their own preferred system, and some gradings are also given out of 5 (again with half marks).[28]

Visiting wineries edit

Traveling to wine regions is one way of increasing skill in tasting. Many wine producers in wine regions all over the world offer tastings of their wine. Depending on the country or region, tasting at the winery may incur a small charge to allow the producer to cover costs.

It is not considered rude to spit out wine at a winery, even in the presence of the wine maker or owner. Generally, a spittoon is provided. In some regions of the world, tasters simply spit on the floor or onto gravel surrounding barrels. It is polite to inquire about where to spit before beginning tasting.

Attending wine schools edit

A growing number of wine schools can be found, offering wine tasting classes to the public. These programs often help a wine taster hone and develop their abilities in a controlled setting. Some also offer professional training for sommeliers and winemakers. It is even possible to learn how to assess wine methodically via e-learning.[29]

Expectoration edit

 
Spitting into a spittoon at a wine tasting

Because intoxication can affect the consumer's judgment, wine tasters generally spit the wine out after they have assessed its quality at formal tastings, where dozens of wines may be assessed. However, since wine is absorbed through the skin inside the mouth, tasting from twenty to twenty-five samplings can still produce an intoxicating effect, depending on the alcoholic content of the wine.[30]

Sensory analysis edit

Tasting plays an important role in the sensory analysis (also referred to as organoleptic analysis) of wine. Employing a trained or consumer panel, oenologists may perform a variety of tests on the taste, aroma, mouthfeel and appeal of wines. Difference tests are important in determining whether different fermentation conditions or new vineyard treatments alter the character of a wine, something particularly important to producers who aim for consistency. Preference testing establishes consumer preference, while descriptive analysis determines the most prominent traits of the wine, some of which grace back labels. Blind tasting and other laboratory controls help mitigate bias and assure statistically significant results. Many large wine companies now boast their own sensory team, optimally consisting of a Ph.D. sensory scientist, a flavor chemist and a trained panel.

Grape varieties edit

Wine grape varieties are variously evaluated according to a wide range of descriptors which draw comparisons with other, non-grape flavors and aromas.[31][32] The following table provides a brief and by no means exhaustive summary of typical descriptors for the better-known varietals.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Peynaud, Émile (1996) The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation, London: Macdonald Orbis, p. 1.
  2. ^ Hodgson, Robert T., "How Expert are "Expert" Wine Judges?", Journal of Wine Economics, Vol. 4; Issue 02 (Winter 2009), pp. 233–241.
  3. ^ Émile Peynaud, The taste of wine , p. 1 Dunod, 2013 Google books link.
  4. ^ "Tasting: Definition and etymology". cnrtl.fr. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  5. ^ Buck, L.; Axel, R. (5 April 1991). "A novel multigene family may encode odorant receptors: A molecular basis for odor recognition". Cell. 65 (1): 175–87. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(91)90418-x. PMID 1840504.
  6. ^ Ronald S. Jackson, Wine Tasting: A Professional Handbook, pp. 2–3.
  7. ^ Peynaud, Émile (1996). =The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation, London: Macdonald Orbis, p. 2.
  8. ^ .
  9. ^ .
  10. ^ Georgiou, Maroulla (15 April 2011). "Expensive and inexpensive wines taste the same, research shows". Phys.Org.
  11. ^ Sample, Ian (14 April 2011). "Expensive wine and cheap plonk taste the same to most people". The Guardian.
  12. ^ "Wine-tasting: it's junk science"; The Guardian; June 22, 2013.
  13. ^ Morrot, Gil; Brochet, Frédéric; Dubourdieu, Denis (28 August 2001). "The Color of Odors" (pdf). daysyn.com. Academic Press. doi:10.1006/brln.2001.2493. Retrieved 23 March 2023. The interaction between the vision of colors and odor determination is investigated through lexical analysis of experts' wine tasting comments. The analysis shows that the odors of a wine are, for the most part, represented by objects that have the color of the wine. The assumption of the existence of a perceptual illusion between odor and color is confirmed by a psychophysical experiment. A white wine artificially colored red with an odorless dye was olfactory described as a red wine by a panel of 54 tasters. Hence, because of the visual information, the tasters discounted the olfactory information. Together with recent psychophysical and neuroimaging data, our results suggest that the above perceptual illusion occurs during the verbalization phase of odor determination.
  14. ^ "Liquid Assets – A fair competition"; The Austin Chronicle; April 8, 2005.
  15. ^ Wine & Spirits Education Trust "Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality" p. 66, Second Revised Edition (2012), London, ISBN 978-1905819157
  16. ^ Huttenbrink, K.; Schmidt, C.; Delwiche, J.; Hummel, T. (2001). "The aroma of red wine is modified by the form of the wine glass". Laryno-Rhino-Otologie. 80 (2): 96–100. doi:10.1055/s-2001-11894. PMID 11253572.
  17. ^ Delwiche, J.; Pelchat, M. (2002). "Influence of glass shape on wine aroma". Journal of Sensory Studies. 17 (1): 19–28. doi:10.1111/j.1745-459x.2002.tb00329.x.
  18. ^ a b Hummel, T.; Delwiche, J.; Schmidt, C.; Huttenbrink, K. (2003). "Effects of the form of glasses on the perception of wine flavors: a study in untrained subjects". Appetite. 41 (2): 197–202. doi:10.1016/s0195-6663(03)00082-5. PMID 14550318. S2CID 9626855.
  19. ^ "Le verre ISO ou verre INAO". verres-a-vin.fr. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  20. ^ Le verre et le vin de la cave à la table du |XVII à nos jours (Glass and Wine from the Cellar to the Table from the 17th century to the Present) Christophe Bouneau, Michel Figeac, 2007. Centre d'études des mondes moderne et contemporain. In French
  21. ^ "ISO 3591:1977". ISO.org. Retrieved 9 February 2012. (payment required)
  22. ^ a b Zraly, Kevin (2005). Windows on the World: Complete Wine Course; Sterling Publishing[page needed]
  23. ^ a b c d MacNeil, Karen (2001). The Wine Bible; Workman Publishing, New York[page needed]
  24. ^ MacNeil, Karen (2001). The Wine Bible; Workman Publishing, New York, p. 5.
  25. ^ a b c Gluckstern, Willie (1998). The Wine Avenger. Simon & Schuster, Inc.
  26. ^ "Eviter les erreurs Encyclopédie des Vignes au plaisir" (in French). Maisons-champagne.com.
  27. ^ Professional Friends of Wine
  28. ^ Wine-Searcher
  29. ^ Wine Campus offers an Honours Brevet via e-learning
  30. ^ Walton, Stuart (2005) [2002]. Cook's Encyclopedia of Wine. Anness Publishing Limited. pp. 10, 11. ISBN 0-7607-4220-0.
  31. ^ Varietal Profiles | Professional Friends of Wine
  32. ^ Grape Varieties Explained
  33. ^ "Sauvignon Blanc | Wine grapes". JancisRobinson.com. Retrieved 7 January 2016.

Further reading edit

External links edit

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You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French June 2018 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the French article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Consider adding a topic to this template there are already 5 876 articles in the main category and specifying topic will aid in categorization Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at fr Degustation du vin see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated fr Degustation du vin to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward Modern professional wine tasters such as sommeliers or buyers for retailers use a constantly evolving specialized terminology which is used to describe the range of perceived flavors aromas and general characteristics of a wine More informal recreational tasting may use similar terminology usually involving a much less analytical process for a more general personal appreciation 1 Monk Testing Wine by Antonio Casanova y Estorach c 1886 Results that have surfaced through scientific blind wine tasting suggest the unreliability of wine tasting in both experts and consumers such as inconsistency in identifying wines based on region and price 2 Contents 1 History 2 Tasting stages 3 Blind tasting 3 1 Price bias 3 2 Color bias 3 3 Geographic origin bias 4 Vertical and horizontal tasting 5 Tasting flights 6 Tasting notes 7 Serving temperature 7 1 WSET recommendations 8 Glassware 9 Wine color 10 Process 10 1 Characteristics assessed during tasting 10 2 Connoisseur wine tasting 11 Scoring wine 12 Visiting wineries 13 Attending wine schools 14 Expectoration 15 Sensory analysis 16 Grape varieties 17 See also 18 References 19 Further reading 20 External linksHistory editThe Sumerian stories of Gilgamesh in the 3rd millennium BCE differentiate the popular beers of Mesopotamia as well as wines from Zagros Mountains or Lebanon 3 In the fourth century BCE Plato listed the main flavors of wine and classified the aromas as species or families Aristotle proposed a sensory tasting defined by the four elements air water fire and earth further deepened by the Roman philosopher Lucretius in the first century BCE Although the practice of tasting is as old as the history of wine the term tasting first appeared in 1519 4 The methodology of wine tasting was formalized by the 18th century when Linnaeus Poncelet and others brought an understanding of tasting up to date In 2004 Richard Axel and Linda B Buck won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their contribution to the knowledge of the senses of taste and smell 5 Tasting stages edit nbsp Ready tasting room of port wine in a wine cellar of a producerThe results of the four recognized stages to wine tasting appearance in glass the aroma of the wine in mouth sensations finish aftertaste 6 are combined in order to establish the following properties of a wine complexity and character potential suitability for aging or drinking possible faultsA wine s overall quality assessment based on this examination follows further careful description and comparison with recognized standards both with respect to other wines in its price range and according to known factors pertaining to the region or vintage if it is typical of the region or diverges in style if it uses certain wine making techniques such as barrel fermentation or malolactic fermentation or any other remarkable or unusual characteristics 7 nbsp Wine tasting at Castello di Amorosa Napa ValleyWhereas wines are regularly tasted in isolation a wine s quality assessment is more objective when performed alongside several other wines in what are known as tasting flights Wines may be deliberately selected for their vintage horizontal tasting or proceed from a single winery vertical tasting to better compare vineyard and vintages respectively Alternatively in order to promote an unbiased analysis bottles and even glasses may be disguised in a blind tasting to rule out any prejudicial awareness of either vintage or winery Blind tasting editMain article Blind wine tasting To ensure impartial judgment of a wine it should be served blind that is without the taster s having seen the label or bottle shape Blind tasting may also involve serving the wine from a black wine glass to mask the color of the wine A taster s judgment can be prejudiced by knowing details of a wine such as geographic origin price reputation color or other considerations Scientific research has long demonstrated the power of suggestion in perception as well as the strong effects of expectancies For example people expect more expensive wine to have more desirable characteristics than less expensive wine When given wine that they are falsely told is expensive they virtually always report it as tasting better than the very same wine when they are told that it is inexpensive 8 French researcher Frederic Brochet submitted a mid range Bordeaux in two different bottles one labeled as a cheap table wine the other bearing a grand cru etiquette Tasters described the supposed grand cru as woody complex and round and the supposed cheap wine as short light and faulty Similarly people have expectations about wines because of their geographic origin producer vintage color and many other factors For example when Brochet served a white wine he received all the usual descriptions fresh dry honeyed lively Later he served the same wine dyed red and received the usual red terms intense spicy supple deep 9 One of the most famous instances of blind tasting is known as the Judgment of Paris a wine competition held in 1976 where French judges blind tasted wines from France and California Against all expectations California wines bested French wines according to the judges a result which would have been unlikely in a non blind contest This event was depicted in the 2008 movie Bottle Shock Price bias edit Another well publicized double blind taste test was conducted in 2011 by Prof Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire In a wine tasting experiment using 400 participants Wiseman found that general members of the public were unable to distinguish expensive wines from inexpensive ones 10 People just could not tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine 11 Color bias edit In 2001 the University of Bordeaux asked 54 undergraduate students to taste two glasses of wine one red one white The participants described the red as jammy and commented on its crushed red fruit The participants failed to recognize that both wines were from the same bottle The only difference was that one had been colored red with a flavorless dye 12 13 Geographic origin bias edit For six years Texas A amp M University invited people to taste wines labeled France California Texas and while nearly all ranked the French as best in fact all three were the same Texan wine The contest is built on the simple theory that if people do not know what they are drinking they award points differently than if they do know what they are drinking 14 Vertical and horizontal tasting editVertical and horizontal wine tastings are wine tasting events that are arranged to highlight differences between similar wines citation needed In a vertical tasting different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted This emphasizes differences between various vintages In a horizontal tasting the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles Tasting flights editTasting flight is a term used by wine tasters to describe a selection of wines usually between three and eight glasses but sometimes as many as fifty presented for the purpose of sampling and comparison citation needed Tasting notes editA tasting note is a taster s written testimony about the aroma taste identification acidity structure texture and balance of a wine Online wine communities like Bottlenotes allow members to maintain their tasting notes online and for the reference of others citation needed Serving temperature editThe temperature that a wine is served at can greatly affect the way it tastes and smells Lower temperatures emphasize acidity and tannins while muting the aromatics Higher temperatures minimize acidity and tannins while increasing the aromatics Wine type Examples Temperature Celsius Temperature Fahrenheit Light bodied sweet dessert wines Trockenbeerenauslese Sauternes 6 10 C 43 50 FWhite sparkling wines Champagne other sparkling wine 6 10 C 43 50 FAromatic light bodied white Riesling Sauvignon blanc 8 12 C 46 54 FRed sparkling wines Sparkling Shiraz some frizzante Lambrusco 10 12 C 50 54 FMedium bodied whites Chablis Semillon 10 12 C 50 54 FFull bodied dessert wines Oloroso Sherry Madeira 8 12 C 46 54 FLight bodied red wines Beaujolais Provence rose 10 12 C 50 54 FFull bodied white wines Oaked Chardonnay Rhone whites 12 16 C 54 61 FMedium bodied red wines Grand Cru Burgundy Sangiovese 14 17 C 57 63 FFull bodied red wines Cabernet Sauvignon Nebbiolo based wines 15 18 C 59 64 FWSET recommendations edit The Wine amp Spirit Education Trust uses the following recommendations for serving temperatures 15 Sweet wines e g Sweet Muscats Late harvest wines well chilled 6 C 43 F to 8 C 46 F Sparkling wines e g Prosecco Champagne well chilled 6 C 43 F to 10 C 50 F Light medium bodied whites e g Fino Sherry Muscadet chilled 7 C 45 F to 10 C 50 F Medium full bodied oaked whites e g White Burgundy lightly chilled 10 C 50 F to 13 C 55 F Light bodied reds e g Beaujolais Valpolicella Bardolino lightly chilled 13 C 55 F Medium full bodied reds e g Vintage Port Rioja Bordeaux Burgundy room temperature 15 C 59 F to 18 C 64 F Glassware editMain article Wine glass The shape of a wineglass can have a subtle impact on the perception of wine especially its bouquet 16 17 18 Typically the ideal shape is considered to be wider toward the bottom with a narrower aperture at the top tulip or egg shaped Glasses which are widest at the top are considered the least ideal Many wine tastings use ISO XL5 glasses citation needed which are egg shaped The effect of glass shape does not appear to be related to whether the glass is pleasing to look at 18 nbsp INAO official wine tasting glass The glass of reference is the INAO wine glass a tool defined by specifications of the French Association for Standardization AFNOR which was adopted by INAO as the official glass in 1970 received its standard AFNOR in June 1971 and its ISO 3591 standard in 1972 19 The INAO has not submitted a file at the National Institute of Industrial Property it is therefore copied en masse and has gradually replaced other tasting glasses in the world 20 The glass must be lead crystal 9 lead Its dimensions give it a total volume between 210 ml and 225 ml they are defined as follows Diameter of the rim 46 mm Calyx height 100 mm Height of the foot 55 mm Shoulder diameter 65 mm Foot diameter 9 mm Diameter of the base 65 mmThe opening is narrower than the convex part so as to concentrate the bouquet The capacity is approximately 215 ml but it is intended to take a 50 ml pour 21 Some glasses of a similar shape but with different capacities may be loosely referred to as ISO glasses but they form no part of the ISO specification Wine color editWithout having tasted the wines one does not know if for example a white is heavy or light Before taking a sip the taster tries to determine the order in which the wines should be assessed by appearance and aroma alone Heavy wines are deeper in color and generally more intense on the nose citation needed Sweeter wines being denser leave thick viscous streaks called legs or tears down the inside of the glass when swirled citation needed Process edit nbsp Judging color is the first step in tasting wine There are five basic steps in tasting wine color swirl smell taste and savor 22 These are also known as the five S steps see swirl sniff sip savor During this process a taster must look for clarity varietal character integration expressiveness complexity and connectedness 23 A wine s color is better judged by putting it against a white background The wine glass is put at an angle in order to see the colors Colors can give the taster clues to the grape variety and whether the wine was aged in wood Characteristics assessed during tasting edit Varietal character describes how much a wine presents its inherent grape aromas 23 A wine taster also looks for integration which is a state in which none of the components of the wine acid tannin alcohol etc is out of balance with the other components When a wine is well balanced the wine is said to have achieved a harmonious fusion 23 Another important quality of the wine to look for is its expressiveness Expressiveness is the quality the wine possesses when its aromas and flavors are well defined and clearly projected 24 The complexity of the wine is affected by many factors one of which may be the multiplicity of its flavors The connectedness of the wine a rather abstract and difficult to ascertain quality describes the bond between the wine and its land of origin terroir 23 Connoisseur wine tasting edit A wine s quality can be judged by its bouquet and taste The bouquet is the total aromatic experience of the wine Assessing a wine s bouquet can also reveal faults such as cork taint oxidation due to age overexposure to oxygen or lack of preservatives and wild yeast or bacterial contamination such as those due to Acetobacter or Brettanomyces yeasts Although low levels of Brettanomyces aromatic characteristics can be a positive attribute giving the wine a distinctive character generally it is considered a wine spoilage yeast The bouquet of wine is best revealed by gently swirling the wine in a wine glass to expose it to more oxygen and release more aromatic 25 etheric ester and aldehyde molecules that comprise the essential components of a wine s bouquet 22 Sparkling wine should not be swirled to the point of releasing bubbles 26 Pausing to experience a wine s bouquet aids the wine taster in anticipating the wine s flavors The nose of a wine its bouquet or aroma is the major determinate of perceived flavor in the mouth Once inside the mouth the aromatics are further liberated by exposure to body heat and transferred retronasally to the olfactory receptor site It is here that the complex taste experience characteristic of a wine actually commences Thoroughly tasting a wine involves perception of its array of taste and mouthfeel attributes which involve the combination of textures flavors weight and overall structure Following appreciation of its olfactory characteristics the wine taster savors a wine by holding it in the mouth for a few seconds to saturate the taste buds By pursing one s lips and breathing through that small opening oxygen passes over the wine and releases even more esters When the wine is allowed to pass slowly through the mouth it presents the connoisseur with the fullest gustatory profile available to the human palate The acts of pausing and focusing through each step distinguishes wine tasting from simple quaffing Through this process the full array of aromatic molecules is captured and interpreted by approximately 15 million olfactory receptors 25 comprising a few hundred olfactory receptor classes When tasting several wines in succession however key aspects of this fuller experience length and finish or aftertaste must necessarily be sacrificed through expectoration Although taste qualities are known to be widely distributed throughout the oral cavity the concept of an anatomical tongue map yet persists in the wine tasting arena in which different tastes are believed to map to different areas of the tongue A widely accepted example is the misperception that the tip of the tongue uniquely tells how sweet a wine is and the upper edges tell its acidity 25 Scoring wine editMain article Wine rating See also Wine tasting descriptors As part of the tasting process and as a way of comparing the merits of the various wines wines are given scores according to a relatively set system This may be either by explicitly weighting different aspects or by global judgment although the same aspects would be considered These aspects are 1 the appearance of the wine 2 the nose or smell 3 the palate or taste and 4 overall 27 Different systems weight these differently e g appearance 15 nose 35 palate 50 Typically no modern wine would score less than half on any scale which would effectively indicate an obvious fault It is more common for wines to be scored out of 20 including half marks in Europe and parts of Australasia and out of 100 in the US However different critics tend to have their own preferred system and some gradings are also given out of 5 again with half marks 28 Visiting wineries editMain article Enotourism Traveling to wine regions is one way of increasing skill in tasting Many wine producers in wine regions all over the world offer tastings of their wine Depending on the country or region tasting at the winery may incur a small charge to allow the producer to cover costs It is not considered rude to spit out wine at a winery even in the presence of the wine maker or owner Generally a spittoon is provided In some regions of the world tasters simply spit on the floor or onto gravel surrounding barrels It is polite to inquire about where to spit before beginning tasting Attending wine schools editA growing number of wine schools can be found offering wine tasting classes to the public These programs often help a wine taster hone and develop their abilities in a controlled setting Some also offer professional training for sommeliers and winemakers It is even possible to learn how to assess wine methodically via e learning 29 Expectoration edit nbsp Spitting into a spittoon at a wine tastingBecause intoxication can affect the consumer s judgment wine tasters generally spit the wine out after they have assessed its quality at formal tastings where dozens of wines may be assessed However since wine is absorbed through the skin inside the mouth tasting from twenty to twenty five samplings can still produce an intoxicating effect depending on the alcoholic content of the wine 30 Sensory analysis editTasting plays an important role in the sensory analysis also referred to as organoleptic analysis of wine Employing a trained or consumer panel oenologists may perform a variety of tests on the taste aroma mouthfeel and appeal of wines Difference tests are important in determining whether different fermentation conditions or new vineyard treatments alter the character of a wine something particularly important to producers who aim for consistency Preference testing establishes consumer preference while descriptive analysis determines the most prominent traits of the wine some of which grace back labels Blind tasting and other laboratory controls help mitigate bias and assure statistically significant results Many large wine companies now boast their own sensory team optimally consisting of a Ph D sensory scientist a flavor chemist and a trained panel Grape varieties editWine grape varieties are variously evaluated according to a wide range of descriptors which draw comparisons with other non grape flavors and aromas 31 32 The following table provides a brief and by no means exhaustive summary of typical descriptors for the better known varietals Red grape variety Common sensory descriptorsCabernet Franc tobacco green bell pepper raspberry freshly mown grassCabernet Sauvignon blackcurrants eucalyptus chocolate tobaccoGamay pomegranate strawberryGrenache smoky pepper raspberryMalbec violet plums tart red fruit earthy mineralityMerlot black cherry plums tomatoMourvedre thyme clove cinnamon black pepper violet blackberryNebbiolo leather tar stewed prunes chocolate liquorice roses prunesNorton red fruit elderberriesPetite Sirah Durif earthy black pepper dark fruitsPetit Verdot violets later pencil shavingsPinot noir raspberry cherry violets farmyard with age trufflesPinotage bramble fruits earthy smokySangiovese herbs black cherry leathery earthySyrah Shiraz tobacco black white pepper blackberry smokeTempranillo vanilla strawberry tobaccoTeroldego spices chocolate red fruitsZinfandel black cherry pepper mixed spices mint anise White grape variety Common sensory descriptorsAlbarino lemon minerals apricot peachBreidecker apple pearChardonnay butter melon apple pineapple vanilla if oaked e g vinified or aged in new oak aging barrels Chenin blanc wet wool beeswax honey apple almondGewurztraminer rose petals lychee spiceGruner Veltliner green apple citrusMarsanne almond honeysuckle marzipanMelon de Bourgogne lime salt green appleMuscato honey grapes limePalomino honeydew citrus raw nutsPinot gris Pinot grigio white peach pear apricotProsecco apple honey musk citrusRiesling citrus fruits peach honey petrolSauvignon blanc gooseberry lime asparagus cut grass bell pepper capsicum grapefruit passionfruit cat pee tasters term for guava 33 Semillon honey orange limeTrebbiano Ugni blanc lime herbsVerdicchio apple minerals citrus lemon almondVermentino pear cream green fruitsViognier peach pear nutmeg apricotSee also edit nbsp Wine portalAroma wheel Coffee cupping Tea tasting Typicity Wine accessory Wine and food matchingReferences edit Peynaud Emile 1996 The Taste of Wine The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation London Macdonald Orbis p 1 Hodgson Robert T How Expert are Expert Wine Judges Journal of Wine Economics Vol 4 Issue 02 Winter 2009 pp 233 241 Emile Peynaud The taste of wine p 1 Dunod 2013 Google books link Tasting Definition and etymology cnrtl fr Retrieved 12 December 2016 Buck L Axel R 5 April 1991 A novel multigene family may encode odorant receptors A molecular basis for odor recognition Cell 65 1 175 87 doi 10 1016 0092 8674 91 90418 x PMID 1840504 Ronald S Jackson Wine Tasting A Professional Handbook pp 2 3 Peynaud Emile 1996 The Taste of Wine The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation London Macdonald Orbis p 2 Chemical Object Representation in the Field of Consciousness Frederic Brochet Wine Snob Scandal Brochet s work on dyed wine Georgiou Maroulla 15 April 2011 Expensive and inexpensive wines taste the same research shows Phys Org Sample Ian 14 April 2011 Expensive wine and cheap plonk taste the same to most people The Guardian Wine tasting it s junk science The Guardian June 22 2013 Morrot Gil Brochet Frederic Dubourdieu Denis 28 August 2001 The Color of Odors pdf daysyn com Academic Press doi 10 1006 brln 2001 2493 Retrieved 23 March 2023 The interaction between the vision of colors and odor determination is investigated through lexical analysis of experts wine tasting comments The analysis shows that the odors of a wine are for the most part represented by objects that have the color of the wine The assumption of the existence of a perceptual illusion between odor and color is confirmed by a psychophysical experiment A white wine artificially colored red with an odorless dye was olfactory described as a red wine by a panel of 54 tasters Hence because of the visual information the tasters discounted the olfactory information Together with recent psychophysical and neuroimaging data our results suggest that the above perceptual illusion occurs during the verbalization phase of odor determination Liquid Assets A fair competition The Austin Chronicle April 8 2005 Wine amp Spirits Education Trust Wine and Spirits Understanding Wine Quality p 66 Second Revised Edition 2012 London ISBN 978 1905819157 Huttenbrink K Schmidt C Delwiche J Hummel T 2001 The aroma of red wine is modified by the form of the wine glass Laryno Rhino Otologie 80 2 96 100 doi 10 1055 s 2001 11894 PMID 11253572 Delwiche J Pelchat M 2002 Influence of glass shape on wine aroma Journal of Sensory Studies 17 1 19 28 doi 10 1111 j 1745 459x 2002 tb00329 x a b Hummel T Delwiche J Schmidt C Huttenbrink K 2003 Effects of the form of glasses on the perception of wine flavors a study in untrained subjects Appetite 41 2 197 202 doi 10 1016 s0195 6663 03 00082 5 PMID 14550318 S2CID 9626855 Le verre ISO ou verre INAO verres a vin fr Retrieved 12 December 2016 Le verre et le vin de la cave a la table du XVII a nos jours Glass and Wine from the Cellar to the Table from the 17th century to the Present Christophe Bouneau Michel Figeac 2007 Centre d etudes des mondes moderne et contemporain In French ISO 3591 1977 ISO org Retrieved 9 February 2012 payment required a b Zraly Kevin 2005 Windows on the World Complete Wine Course Sterling Publishing page needed a b c d MacNeil Karen 2001 The Wine Bible Workman Publishing New York page needed MacNeil Karen 2001 The Wine Bible Workman Publishing New York p 5 a b c Gluckstern Willie 1998 The Wine Avenger Simon amp Schuster Inc Eviter les erreurs Encyclopedie des Vignes au plaisir in French Maisons champagne com Professional Friends of Wine Wine Searcher Wine Campus offers an Honours Brevet via e learning Walton Stuart 2005 2002 Cook s Encyclopedia of Wine Anness Publishing Limited pp 10 11 ISBN 0 7607 4220 0 Varietal Profiles Professional Friends of Wine Grape Varieties Explained Sauvignon Blanc Wine grapes JancisRobinson com Retrieved 7 January 2016 Further reading editJefford Andrew 2008 Andrew Jefford s Wine Course London Ryland Peters amp Small ISBN 978 1 84597 723 8 Schuster Michael 2009 Essential Winetasting The Complete Practical Winetasting Course London Mitchell Beazley ISBN 978 1 84533 498 7 Broadbent Michael 2003 Michael Broadbent s Wine Tasting London Mitchell Beazley ISBN 1 84000 854 7 Emile Peynaud Jacques Blouin 1996 The Taste of Wine The Art Science of Wine Appreciation John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 0 471 11376 8 Robinson Jancis 1999 Tasting Pleasure New York Penguin Books ISBN 0 14 027001 9 Simon Pat 2000 Wine tasters Logic London Mitchell Beazley ISBN 978 0 571 20287 4 Supp Eckhard 2005 Der Brockhaus Wein Mannheim F A Brockhaus ISBN 3 7653 0281 3 Taber George M 2005 Judgment of Paris California vs France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine New York Scribner Book Company ISBN 0 7432 4751 5 Walton Stuart 2005 2002 Cook s Encyclopedia of Wine China Anness Publishing Limited ISBN 0 7607 4220 0 Jackson Ronald S 2002 Wine Tasting A Professional Handbook 1st ed United States Academic Press ISBN 0 12 379076 X Hurley Jon 2005 A Matter of Taste a History of Wine Drinking in Britain 1st ed United Kingdom Tempus ISBN 0 7524 3402 0 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wine tasting Wine tasting at Curlie Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wine tasting amp oldid 1185329447 Blind tasting, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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