Appreciation of taste

The taste of wine is understood as being both flavour and "palate". It is a very complex concept which depends on several factors.

The main factors which make up flavour are:

• Alcohol
• Polyphenols (red and yellow colourings of the grape)
• Carbonic gas

Although it is generally accepted that sensitivity for sweet, bitter, acid and salty tastes are centred on the tongue, in winetasting, sensations are much more complex. After swallowing, impressions remain on the tongue, palate, the velum of the palate, gums, inside the lips and in front of the throat (aftertaste).

The polyphenols, or colour, which exists in wine, also have a marked influence on taste. White wines can have 0.2 g/l and reds 2 g/l. The more polyphenols present, the more astringent the taste will be. This is noticeable at low temperatures. The lower the temperature of a wine, the more astringent its taste. In this way, wines with little colour, (whites and rosés) can be consumed at 10° C. In the case of reds, the temperature should not go below 15° C.

Alcohol rounds off the taste of wine, generally making it milder. If we were to remove the alcohol from the wine we would be surprised by its astringency and acidity. Glycerine contained in wines from 4 to 7 g/l also contributs to this effect.

Wine contains acids which are either derived from the grape or formed during fermentation.

The following elements come from the grapes:

• Tartaric acid. Responsible for "hard" acidity and ranges from 3 to 6 g/l.
• Malic acid. Responsible for a "green" taste and ranges from 0 to 3 g/l.
• Citric acid. Responsible for a "fresh" taste, which only exists from 0.2 to 0.4 g/l.

The following elements are derived from fermentation:

• Lactic acid. Responsible for an agreeable bitter taste similar to yoghurt. From 1 to 2 g/l.
• Succinic acid. Hot and agreeable acid taste. From 0.5 to 1.5 g/l.
• Acetic acid. Disagreeable and causes deterioration. From 0.2 to 0.6 g/l in healthy wines.

Carbon dioxide gas exists in wines naturally. There is a lot in young wines and little in older wines. In a young wine, it is better to keep one gramme per litre of CO2 for highlighting freshness. In December, new wines contain too much carbon dioxide gas, this is not pleasant. In summer CO2 usually drops to half a gramme per litre which is not pleasant either. On the other hand, it is not good for old wines to contain more than 0.3 g/l.

Winetasting essentially means a method for defining aromas, appearance and taste. These are not easy to separate as they are not independent. We shall attempt to define:

• First, the direct impression of aroma.
• Second, visual observation; brilliance and colour.

Then on to the palate. Winetasting must be carried out:

• Keeping wine in one'mouth for five seconds produces a "hot sensation" on the tongue if it contains CO2 or "aguja" ("petillant").
• By sucking in air, the aroma will be picked up by the nose via the retronasal passage.

After swallowing the wine, one will immediately be left with:

• A lingering taste on the palate, tongue and gums.
• A smooth or "petillant" aftertaste at the front of the throat.

Environment		Method
Atmospheric temperature	20°C ± 1°C	1.-Immediate appreciation on opening the bottle.
Lighting	700 - 5.000 Lux	2.-Initial appreciation of aroma.
Winetasting glass AFNOR 2772		3.-Observation of brilliance and colour.
Wine temperature	10° C White, rosé	4.-The wine is drunk and kept in the mouth for five seconds to check for CO2, noticeable in a sensation of "petillant" on the tongue
Wine temperature	12° C Red. CO2 maceration.	5.-Suction of air through the mouth and appreciation of aroma.
Wine temperature	15° Red in general	6.-The wine is swallowed or expelled.
Luminous reflection	65%	7.-Immediate definition of impressions left on the palate, tongue and gums.
Atmospheric humidity	60 - 80%	8.-Definition of aftertaste.
Chromatic yield of light	More than 85%	9.-New direct appreciation of aroma and comparison with initial impression.This process must be carried out with the same proportion of wine in the glass.