Fine wine recognition and appreciation: It is time to change the paradigm of wine tasting

Wine quality maybe understood under two perspectives: (a) commercial quality, intended to satisfy overall consumers, and (b) fine wine quality, aimed at achieving a product with aesthetic value. The current food sensory techniques (e.g. Descriptive Analysis) have been successfully applied to develop wines accepted worldwide and characterized by pleasant sweetish flavours and smooth mouthfeel. On the contrary, these techniques are not suited to characterize fine wines given their dependence on sensory properties with aesthetic value. The conventional tasting approaches follow the sequence of vision, smell (orthonasal), taste and mouthfeel, ending by an overall evaluation. The sensory descriptors tend to be analytic (e.g. different aromas and tastes) or synthetic (e.g. body, structure) and the quality judgement is left for the final step. Some synthetic attributes may have an aesthetic significance (e.g. complexity, harmony, depth) and are more valued when the analytic or synthetic descriptors are highly praised (e.g. oakiness, silkiness, body, minerality). Consequently, these highly praised attributes are regarded as surrogates of fine wine quality. However, commercial wines are frequently judged of higher quality than fine wines irrespective of the taster expertise. We argue that the conventional sensory analysis sequence makes the overall evaluation secondary in relation to the previous analytical steps blurring the assessment of wine's aesthetic properties. Probably due to top-down processing, the initial evaluation of colour or flavours governs the final overall quality evaluation that may be inconsistently rated. Then, to promote the recognition of fine wines, tasting should begin by first acknowledging the aesthetic properties and only proceed to the analytical steps if necessary. A tasting method is proposed to consumer educational programs where emotional responses are used to explain the differences between commercial and fine wine styles. Furthermore, cultural aspects should be included to appreciate the wholeness of wine. Hopefully, this holistic perspective would turn wine appreciation more approachable and facilitate the recognition of fine wines among consumers, increasing their appreciation and enjoyment.

Evaluation of the Long-Lasting Flavour Perception after the Consumption of Wines Treated with Different Types of Oenological Additives Considering Individual 6-n-Propylthiouracil Taster Status

Due to the limited scientific knowledge on the impact of commercial oenological additives on flavour perception, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different types of oenological additives on the long-lasting flavour perception (flavour persistence) during wine tasting, also considering the effect of the individual PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) taster status (PTS). To do so, white and red wines with two oenotannins (ellagitannin and gallotannin) and a commercial yeast mannoprotein were prepared. A control wine of each type was also made without additives. All the wines were spiked with a mixture of aromatic compounds responsible for the "fruity" and "woody" notes. Retronasal aroma and astringency were evaluated at the same time using time-intensity (TI) methodology and a trained panel (n = 40), including PROP non-tasters (NTs) and tasters (Ts). The results showed a significant effect of PTS on the long-lasting perception of astringency, being Ts who showed higher values than NTs for most TI parameters. However, PTS did not affect aroma persistence. In addition, the three oenological additives had an effect on astringency and retronasal aroma perception. They significantly increased the long-lasting perception of astringency compared to the control, while gallotannin also increased the persistence of the woody aroma.

New insights into Viticulture, Enology and Vitivinicultural Economy: Ciência e Técnica Vitivinícola 2021

New insights into Viticulture, Enology and Vitivinicultural Economy arise from the fourteen articles published by the Ciência e Técnica Vitivinícola in 2021. Research carried out by several international teams covered a wide range of topics that seek to respond to current main challenges: chemical, morphological and anatomical features of the grapevine cultivars explored to withstand biotic and abiotic stresses; seaweed foliar application to grapevines as an innovative and integrated vineyard management technique; nutritional management of grapevine cultivars under cold climate conditions and under water constraint scenarios; viability and cost-effectiveness of photovoltaic solar energy for wineries; viticultural technologies and the food safety of wine; characterization of grapes and methods for juice production; chemical composition of grape seeds; development of analytical and sensory methodologies; portrait of the wine spirits sector in Portugal and its recent evolution.