Principles of Wine Flavor and Tasting Techniques

2. Objectives • After reading this chapter, you should be able to • display an understanding of the principles of wine flavor. • describe how to set up a tasting and perform sensory analysis. • display an understanding of the positive and negative health effects of wine. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

3. Introduction • Learning to taste wine • One can enjoy wine without having any formal knowledge of how to taste wine. • With training and experience a taster can develop a critical faculty that allows him to have a greater understanding of what it is about a wine that makes it enjoyable and how to describe it to others. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

4. Sensory Evaluation • Sensory evaluation is the process of using one’s senses to evaluate what a wine tastes like. • Points to remember when tasting wine: • The matching of wine with food can have profound effects on the perceived flavors of both products. • Wine has both positive and negative health effects that need to be taken into consideration. • When critically evaluating a wine, it is important not to forget that it should be pleasurable to the senses. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

5. How the Senses Respond to Wine • Wine is a natural beverage with a very complex chemical structure. • The complexity of its composition is what is responsible for the multitude of flavors that are present in wine. • There is no laboratory procedure that can give an accurate overall picture of what a wine will taste like. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

6. How the Senses Respond to Wine(continued) • There are five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. • All but hearing have a role in evaluating a wine’s flavor. • Of the four senses that are used, the concept of flavor of a wine is defined by the impression it makes on one’s sense of smell (aroma), sense of taste, and sense of touch (texture). © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

7. The Sense of Sight—Appearance • Although sight does not play a direct role in determining flavor, the appearance of a wine is an important part of sensory evaluation. • The color of the wine is observed for the hue (shade) along with its depth (intensity) and how appropriate these are for the type of wine being tasted. • The clarity of the wine is also observed and noted whether it is brilliant, clear of any defects, or dull, turbid, and cloudy. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

8. The Sense of Sight—Appearance(continued) • Looking at a glass of wine can give the taster clues on what to expect when the wine is consumed. • If a wine is an inappropriate color or turbid, it will have a negative effect on its visual appreciation. • The positive or negative aspects of appearance affect how the taster will perceive the wine. • Even though a wine’s appearance gives clues on what it might taste like, it is important not to let expectation prejudice one’s judgment. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

9. The Sense of Smell—Aroma • The sense of smell is the oldest and one of the most highly developed senses. • The sense of smell is much more acute than the sense of taste. • It can detect many more compounds at much lower concentrations than taste. • The human nose can identify thousands of different types of aromas, some at levels as low as several parts per trillion. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

10. The Sense of Smell—Aroma(continued) • For a compound to have an aroma, it first must be volatile or able to evaporate. • Inhaling through the nose carries volatile compounds into the upper sinus where there are two membranes called the olfactory epithelium. • Here volatile chemicals in the air react with receptor neurons. • The degree a certain compound reacts with different types of receptor neurons is what is responsible for a particular smell. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

11. The Sense of Smell—Aroma(continued) • Wine has a very complex chemical composition with many different volatile compounds. • Wine has as many as 800 volatile compounds; this high number is what is responsible for the complexity of a wine’s aroma. • When describing a wine’s aroma, it is common to isolate and identify the different aromas present and describe what they smell like. This is called descriptive analysis. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

12. The Sense of Smell—Aroma(continued) • A taster might say that he detects the aroma of black pepper, raspberries, and vanilla in a wine. • This does not mean that these flavors are from ingredients added to the wine by artificial means. • Some of the same compounds that are responsible for these aromas in other products are also present in wine. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

13. The Sense of Taste—Flavor • The sense of taste is very simple when compared to the sense of smell. • Most people identify only four flavors that can be discerned by taste alone: • bitter • salty • sweet • sour © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

14. The Sense of Taste—Flavor (continued) • The sense of taste comes from receptor cells within the taste buds located primarily on the tongue. • For many years it was thought that different areas of the tongue were sensitive to different tastes, resulting in “tongue maps” being published in many texts. • Recently this theory was discredited. Different tastes can be identified on all parts of the tongue. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

15. The Sense of Taste—Flavor (continued) • It is possible to experience more than the four basic flavors when tasting a wine. • This comes from the interaction of the senses of taste and smell working together. • Much of the flavor one perceives comes from the aroma that enters the sinuses through the pathway at the back of the mouth. • These aromas stimulate the olfactory nerves at the same time the taste is being perceived. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

16. The Sense of Touch—Texture • The tactile sensations or mouth feel that is produced when one drinks a glass of wine are integral to describing its flavor. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

17. The Sense of Touch—Texture(continued) • Temperature: The temperature at which a wine is served at has a great effect on how the wine is perceived. • At warmer temperatures, the aroma will become more intense because of the greater volatility of the aromatic compounds in the wine. • Cooler temperatures will give wine a more refreshing quality but will diminish the aroma, making the tastes of acid (sour) and sugar (sweet) more prevalent. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

18. The Sense of Touch—Texture(continued) • Viscosity: The body of a wine is influenced by its temperature and composition. • Effervescence: This is the prickly sensation from the carbonation or dissolved CO2 present in the wine. • Its qualities are apparent in sparkling wines as well as young white wines where CO2 contributes to the tartness and fresh taste. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

19. The Sense of Touch—Texture(continued) • Alcohol: Wines with higher alcohol have a hot character reminiscent of distilled spirits. • Astringency: Of these sensations astringency is the most poorly understood. • It is the drying or puckery sensation that is often confused with bitterness. • Astringency is a tactile drying sensation, whereas bitterness is a flavor. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

20. How the Senses Respond to Wine • The physical sensations perceived interact with its aroma and taste to make up a wine’s flavor. • The perception of a wine’s flavor can also be influenced by its appearance. • Among wine tasters there is a great deal of variation in their natural ability of sensory perception. • This can be compensated for by using proper tasting techniques combined with training and experience. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

21. Organizing a Tasting • There are many different ways to taste wine—from the formal and analytical to the relaxed and social. • Less structured tastings often offer a variety of wines from different regions and producers. • Though informal tastings of wine with pleasant conversation and good food can be a very enjoyable experience, it is difficult to evaluate wine carefully under these circumstances. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

22. Organizing a Tasting (continued) • For purposes of serious sensory evaluation, there is a certain procedure for setting up a tasting that minimizes distractions and allows tasters to concentrate on the wine. • Whereas social tastings are common and very popular with the public, more analytical tastings are used by students, enologists, and judges of wine for more careful evaluation. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

23. The Proper Setting for Tasting • Like any task that requires concentration, sensory analysis should take place in an environment that has a minimum of distractions. • The room should be quiet and without any distracting activities taking place nearby. • The room should be at a comfortable temperature and without drafts. • Because part of sensory evaluation is to appraise the color and clarity of a wine, lighting is also important. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

24. The Proper Setting for Tasting(continued) • Most importantly, the tasting area should have no distracting smells that would interfere with the sometimes delicate aromas of the wines to be evaluated. • Cleaning products, fresh paint, and smoke all affect a taster’s ability to discern aromas. • Even pleasant aromas such as those from food preparation, flowers, or scented candles can interfere with the tasting process. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

25. The Proper Setting for Tasting (continued) • Tasting etiquette requires that all people who attend the tasting be conscious of their own personal hygiene and any odors that might be coming from them or their clothes. • Perfumes, colognes, and aftershave must also be avoided. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

26. Tasting Protocol • Sensory evaluation requires concentration; therefore participants should arrive at the tasting well rested and fresh. • Food should not be consumed right before evaluating wines; its aftertaste can interfere with the wine’s flavor. • Tasting on an empty stomach should also be avoided because alcohol will be absorbed more quickly by the body. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

27. Tasting Protocol (continued) • Personal behavior • Tasters should be punctual because the commotion caused by setting up and serving the wines for a late arrival is very distracting. • Tasters should be quiet while other people are tasting. • Opinions and comments about the wines should not be shared until all tasters have finished evaluating the wine. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

28. Presenting the Wines • The table setting for a formal tasting should be simple yet provide everything a taster needs: • A white tablecloth will absorb spills as well as provide a good backdrop for evaluating a wine’s color. • Place settings should also include a napkin, water glass, and a small bucket to be used as a spittoon. • Tasters may bring there own notebooks for recording observations, but it is always a good idea to have pen and paper available in case they are needed. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

29. Glassware • Wine glasses come in a diverse array of sizes and styles. • Glasses with elaborate colors and patterns interfere with the evaluation of the wine. • There are also a number of wine glasses available that are designed for use with a particular type of wine. • For critical evaluation of wine a more basic tasting glass is all that is needed. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

30. Glassware (continued) • A glass for general tasting should have a capacity of about 10 to 14 ounces, and when the wine is served, the glass should be filled about one-quarter to one-third full. • This allows the taster to swirl the glass without spilling and provides enough wine for several tastes. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

31. Glassware (continued) • The glass should be wider near the base of the bowl and narrower at the top forming the shape of a tulip. • This curved-in shape at the top makes swirling easier and helps to concentrate aromas and keep them in the glass. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

32. Crystal or Glass Stemware • Wine glasses are usually made of either crystal or glass. • Glass is more durable and inexpensive. • Crystal is more delicate and is considered more high quality. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

33. Crystal or Glass Stemware (continued) • Either crystal or glass stemware is appropriate for the sensory evaluation of wine. • Most crystal stemware is lead-crystal, which contains some lead and should not be used for the storage of wine. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

34. Water and Food • Water should always be available to wine tasters for rinsing out their mouths as well as drinking. • Occasional sips of water will help to prevent tasters from becoming fatigued or getting dehydrated while consuming alcohol. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

35. Water and Food (continued) • Food is also a useful tool while tasting wine—a small bite of French bread, plain crackers, or rare roast beef between sips of wine will help to keep the taster’s pallet fresh. • Although good food complements the taste of wine, it can also distract from the qualities of the wine itself. • Food with strong aromas or flavors should be avoided when performing critical evaluation of wine. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

36. Other Considerations • All tasters have preferences and prejudices; however, these should not be allowed to influence one’s judgment when evaluating a wine. • Blind tastings are set up to eliminate any potential bias so that the tasters do not know specific information about the wine. • After the evaluation of the wines is completed and ranking or scoring is done, they then can be unveiled. • To hide a wine’s identity, the bottles can be covered and labeled with numbers or letters. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

37. Tasting Wine in Groups or Flights • The number of wines in a group or flight can vary anywhere from 4 to 12, with 6 being a good average number. • This allows the judges to easily compare the different wines to one another and rank them in order of preference. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

38. Tasting Wine in Groups or Flights(continued) • Giving wines an absolute score on a scale of 1 to 20 or 1 to 100 is another way of reviewing a wine. • This method is simple to understand and popular with consumers, but often is arbitrary and difficult to standardize among judges. • After the judges complete their evaluations, their scores or rankings can be compiled to find the overall group ranking of the wines. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

39. Tasting Wine in Groups or Flights(continued) • Flights are usually comprised of similar wines being of the same variety or style; however, there are some variations. • A vertical flight presents a series of consecutive vintages of the same grape variety or type of wine from a single winery. • Tastings also can be set up with a number of different wines from a single producer. Although these tastings are not always done blind, they can still be very informative. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

40. Tasting Order • When tasting different types of wine within a single flight, there are several basic rules in how to set up the order of the tasting: • White wines should be consumed before red wines. • Dry wines should be consumed before sweet wines. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

41. Tasting Order (continued) • Light-bodied wines should be consumed before full-bodied wines. • Young wines should be consumed before older wines. • Table wines should be consumed before dessert or fortified wine. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

42. Tasting Order (continued) • This method of tasting wines with more delicate flavors before those with stronger flavors prevents the flavors of the first wines from overwhelming those that come later. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

43. Proper Tasting Techniques • There is a systematic procedure a taster uses for the sensory evaluation of a group of wines. • This method is designed so that the taster is less likely to become fatigued and to ensure that each wine gets an equal treatment. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

44. Proper Tasting Techniques (continued) • The wines are first all appraised by their appearance, then by their aroma, and then by their taste and mouth feel. • By using the senses in this order, the taster’s senses will not tire as quickly. • While the wines are being tasted, it is important to keep track of your impressions by taking notes. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

45. Evaluation by Sight • To begin the assessment of the wines, the taster selects one and observes its clarity and color. • The wine is studied to see whether there is any turbidity or haze present or whether the wine is free of any particulate matter and is brilliant. • To observe color, the glass should be held at a 45° angle and viewed against a white surface such as the tablecloth or a napkin. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

46. Color in Wine • The hue (shade) and depth (intensity) of the wine’s color should be observed, compared to the other wines in the flight and recorded. • In dark red wines, looking at edge of the wine in the glass can show subtle differences in color. • Young red wines have a bluish/purple tint to them that changes to a brick red/orange tone as the wine ages. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

47. Color in Wine (continued) • White wines can have a light-yellow/greenish tint when they are young and become more golden with age. • Dessert wines have their own color standards with late-harvest whites tending to have a golden hue, and tawny ports an amber color. • In sparkling wines, note the color as well as the size and quantity of the bubbles. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

48. Evaluation of Aroma • The second step, appraising a wine’s aroma, is the most important part of the sensory evaluation of a wine. • To begin, the glass is selected and then, held by the stem, briefly swilled to concentrate the wine’s aroma. • After this is done, place your nose inside the glass and inhale deeply. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

49. Evaluation of Aroma (continued) • First, note the aromas that are present and whether they are pleasant or unpleasant. • Assess the intensity of these aromas, making note of which are more obvious and which are more subtle. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.

50. Evaluation of Aroma (continued) • First impressions tend to be the most accurate, but remember that a wine’s aroma can change over time. • While resting for 15 to 30 seconds, write down your observations on the aroma of the wine. After this, repeat the swirling and sniffing, then record any changes. © 2007 Thomson Delmar Learning. All Rights Reserved.