The fundamentals (2) : taste

Before starting to analyse in a methodical manner the techniques used by wine-tasters to describe a wine, it is necessary to start by defining taste. The dictionary tells us it is the sense which enables us to discern the flavours of food by using the tongue as an instrument.
But, by limiting taste to the perception of flavours this definition doesn’t seem to correspond to reality.
Today, we consider taste more as a global sensation made up of several components.

The first of these is without doubt the visual aspect. Colour is in fact an integral part of taste. Try this simple experiment. Give someone a glass of red, Grenadine cordial coloured with a neutral, green, colouring agent then observe the reaction of the person tasting it. You will see that people have more confidence in what they see than what they taste.
The way a table is laid and decorated is important and we all know that well-presented food seems more tasty.

Another essential constituent is the olfactory element. Who can separate olfactory and taste sensations? It is a well-known fact that, when we have a cold, the things we eat and drink seem to have no taste. But, in truth, only our perception of smells and aromas changes. Flavours remain intact.

The flavours detected by our taste buds are one of the essential parts of taste. The flavours, sweetness, acidity, saltiness and bitterness are the ones people know best although many others exist. For example, liquorice or ‘unami’ (sodium monoglutamate) which is used to enhance taste in Asian cuisine.

 

Tactile sensations are also perceived in the mouth (consistency, viscosity etc….) as well heat sensations (temperature, alcohol …). But there are other sensations we shouldn’t ignore which play an important role in our perception of taste. These are the sensations of irritability or pungency (chemical irritability) caused by sulphur, alcohol, vinegar, pepper, mustard etc.

The panorama would not be complete without the auditory perception. For example, we know that noise made by crunchy, crusty, food is part of taste. Of course, we cannot include this sensation when talking about wine, although we remark that it is difficult to taste correctly when there’s a lot of noise.

If we accept taste as the combination of all these different sensations, the examination of each one will be the framework of the method used by tasters to judge the characteristics of a wine.

All tasting sheets are divided into 4 parts :

1. The Eye or Visual Aspect.
2. The nose or olfactory aspect.
3. The mouth or gustatory aspect.
4. General impression and Conclusion.

By following this order in a methodical, progressive way and by using the appropriate vocabulary, we will be able to express more easily what we appreciate.