Tasting wine is an individual experience

Allen R. Balik

Any wine tasting experience is individual and ours alone just as it is with food. Therefore, the impressions one may encounter may be quite different from another even while enjoying the glass or dish together from the same bottle or chef. This is no different than what we may encounter as our individual experience when discussing a famous painting, the enjoyment of a stage play or when chatting about a recently published novel.

Tasting wine can be easy and enjoyable. But understanding what we are tasting, while absorbing the various sensory elements, can be difficult for some to comprehend given all the complex underlying interactions taking place. But the big question frequently arises: "Are all the descriptors we often see in critical reviews and tasting notes necessary just to enjoy a glass of wine?"

There are naturally good arguments on both sides. As discussed in this space two weeks ago, the casual social drinker may simply rely on the "I like it” or “I don't like it" methodology. While the experienced or professional drinker strives to savor and examine the tasting experience by dissecting the wine into its many impressions and elements.

First, let's remember wine actually appeals to all five senses. Visual - what can the color tell us? Smell – familiar scents come to mind. Taste – perhaps the most common reference. Touch – the mouthfeel can be silky or rough and thin or rich. Hearing – the welcome pop of the cork and clinking of glasses. So how do they all come together in the glass and in our awareness?

I recall reading some time ago a very detailed article by Professor Barry C. Smith of the University of London's Institute of Philosophy and Co-director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses, in Issue 50 of The World of Fine Wine. Dr. Smith is a professor of philosophy who has dedicated himself to the multisensory perception of flavor where he combines his expertise in philosophy, neuroscience, language and psychology with his considerable in-depth knowledge of wine.

I think we can all agree with Dr. Smith's observation that, “The social drinker's impression of a glass of wine will differ markedly from that of the experienced drinker.” An important factor I see as overriding all others with experienced drinkers is an ability to concentrate and focus on the aromatic, flavor and textural elements while comparing them with other impressions stored over time in their memory bank.

The capacity to focus on the elements and relate to past experiences comes from years of practice and results in an ability to express these impressions to others through language. This ability not only completes the circle of the taster’s experience, but also enables him to translate that to others in a comprehensive manner.

However, is it necessary for everyone to go to these lengths to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner? Absolutely not. But understanding the differences between social and experienced wine drinkers can be an interesting exercise that can also translate to further appreciation of food, arts, literature and many other aspects of our lives when viewed in similar terms.

Social drinkers tend to make quick decisions on what they are tasting and look to first impressions resulting in the "like it or not like it" conclusion discussed above. More experienced drinkers tend to slow it all down, examining the many fleeting sensations of smells, tastes and textures while consciously focusing on what the wine is telling them and asking how this message is being sent.

Experienced tasters tend to discriminate and compartmentalize the tasting while relying on their palate memory to categorize each component and compare it to others encountered in the past. However, all tasters do not share a common history and each may translate their impressions in different ways. Is that aromatic a tropical or pitted fruit? Is the flavor impression one of white peach or nectarine? Is the mouthfeel one of silk or velvet? All of these impressions are right in the perception of the individual taster and neither is wrong as the sensations are unique and based on our own individual memories.

Critical wine tasting is based on both perception and judgment and as Dr. Smith points out, it is knowledge that moves the taster's perception to judgment. Take for example, a wine that is very tannic and exhibits a faint unfamiliar barnyard smell. To the social drinker either may be unpleasant and lead to a "don't like it" response.

Yet, with knowledge and familiarity of the type of wine (e.g. in this case a young Southern Rhone red), the professional would expect these characteristics and likely incorporate them positively in his judgment. However, if the wine in this example was a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel, the path to judgment would be far different as the barnyard notes are not a part of either’s expected aromatic profile (as it can be with the Southern Rhone example) and would indicate spoilage.

Regardless of whether we fit into the social or experienced category, wine tasting is a multisensory experience combining our sense of smell (both nasal and retro as we swallow), taste (basic impressions from the taste buds and umami surrounding the tongue) and texture (mouthfeel) resulting in the taster’s overall expression and judgement. And when our individual memory is added to the equation, we begin to develop our own descriptors that can be communicated to others.

Wine is a beverage that is meant to mark celebrations, simply enhance the meal and raise our spirits. Many of us are comfortable leaving it at that, while others decide to venture further. Thankfully, there's plenty of room for both.