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.Peynaud, Émile (1996) The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation, London: Macdonald Orbis, p. 1.

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.Hodgson, Robert T., "How Expert are "Expert" Wine Judges?", Journal of Wine Economics, Vol. 4; Issue 02 (Winter 2009), pp. 233–241.

History 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.Émile Peynaud, The taste of wine , p. 1 Dunod, 2013 Google books link. 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. 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.

Tasting stages

The results of the four recognized stages to wine tasting: appearance "in glass" the aroma of the wine "in mouth" sensations "finish" (aftertaste)Ronald S. Jackson, Wine Tasting: A Professional Handbook, pp. 2–3. – 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.Peynaud, Émile (1996). =The Taste of Wine: The Art and Science of Wine Appreciation, London: Macdonald Orbis, p. 2.

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

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.Chemical Object Representation in the Field of Consciousness – Frédéric Brochet. 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."Wine Snob Scandal – Brochet's work on dyed wine.

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 Another well-publicized double-blind taste test was conducted in 2011 by 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. "People just could not tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine".

Color bias 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."Wine-tasting: it's junk science"; The Guardian; June 22, 2013.

Geographic origin bias 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."Liquid Assets – A fair competition"; The Austin Chronicle; April 8, 2005.

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

Tasting notes 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.

Serving temperature 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 winesTrockenbeerenauslese, 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 The Wine & Spirit Education Trust uses the following recommendations for serving temperatures:Wine & Spirits Education Trust "Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality" p. 66, Second Revised Edition (2012), London, Sweet wines e.g. Sweet Muscats, Late-harvest wines (well chilled) to Sparkling wines e.g. Prosecco, Champagne (well chilled) to Light/medium-bodied whites e.g. Fino Sherry, Muscadet (chilled) to Medium/full-bodied oaked whites e.g. White Burgundy (lightly chilled) to Light-bodied reds e.g. Beaujolais, Valpolicella, Bardolino (lightly chilled) Medium/full-bodied reds e.g. Vintage Port, Rioja, Bordeaux, Burgundy (room temperature) to

Glassware

The shape of a wineglass can have a subtle impact on the perception of wine, especially its bouquet. 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, which are "egg"-shaped. The effect of glass shape does not appear to be related to whether the glass is pleasing to look at.

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. 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.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

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. (payment required) 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 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. Sweeter wines, being denser, leave thick, viscous streaks (called legs or tears) down the inside of the glass when swirled.

Process