Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 On the meaning of looking for terroir perceptions in blind tastings

On the meaning of looking for terroir perceptions in blind tastings

Abstract

If one considers as “physical or sensory attributes” of a wine its concentrations of alcohol and of other substances, it can be stated that another class of attributes exists, which can be called “metaphysical attributes”, mainly linked to feelings ignited by terroir information. Therefore, wine consumers can be divided in two categories: a) the common consumer, who drinks wine as a hedonistic experience, focusing in the physical attributes (taste, aroma, texture); b) the wine lover, who, besides asking for these basic pleasures, longs for metaphysical or spiritual information, which comes along with data on the production region, its traditions and landscape, the vineyard, winemaking methods and culture, and on the winemaker’s persona. All these metaphysical information are lost in blind tastings, where, primarily, the physical attributes are sensed.

Measurements of chemicals in wines from different terroirs tend to indicate that typicity can be detected; nevertheless, variations in vintage, clones, assemblages, and methods give variability even to terroir wines. In a blind tasting, the eventual identification of terroir characteristics makes a call to the memory, which is not an exact recorder This work reports results from 30 blind tasting sessions, focused on wines from dozens of viticultural regions; it reports also results from seven non-blind tastings of handcrafted wines from the same producer, performed in the winery, as reported in the media. Results show that, even in panels of veteran tasters, terroir attributes are heavily lost in blind tastings; however, reports from non-blind tastings are remarkably focused in a few descriptors. It is concluded that perception of the terroir component, and so, the terroir value, is deeply linked to knowledge of metaphysical attributes, being, nevertheless, consistent from a sensorial perspective.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: October 1, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Jorge DUCATI (1,2), Vilmar BETTÚ (3)

(1) Centro Estadual de Pesquisas em Sensoriamento Remoto e Meteorologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, Porto Alegre, Brazil
(2) Sociedade Brasileira dos Amigos do Vinho – Regional Sul, Rua Liberdade 120, Porto Alegre, Brazil
(3) Reliquiæ Vini, Estrada do Sabor, Estrada Geral Sao Gabriel, Garibaldi, Brazil

Contact the author

Keywords

wine attributes, sensory perception, taste of place

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Vine environment interaction as a method for land viticultural evaluation. An experience in Friuli Venezia Giulia (N-E of Italy)

For a long time environment was known as one of the most important factors to characterize the quality of wines but at the same time it appears very difficult to distinguish inside the “terroir” the role of the single factor. These remarks partially explain why methods for viticultural evaluation are often quite different (Amerine et al., 1944; Antoniazzi et al., 1986; Asselin et al., 1987; Astruc et al., 1980; Bonfils, 1977; Boselli, 1991; Colugnati, 1990; Costantinescu, 1967; Costantini et al., 1987; Dutt et al., 1981; Falcetti et al., 1992; Fregoni et al., 1992; Hidalgo, 1980; Intrieri et al., 1988; Laville, 1990; Morlat et al., 1991; Scienza et al., 1990; Shubert et al., 1987; Turri et al., 1991).

Read More

Exploring the physico-chemical modification of grape seed extracts to improve their clarifying effect in red wine

During winemaking, some byproducts are obtained, such as grape pomace, which represent 13% of winery byproducts.

Read More

Assessment of O2 consumption, a new tool to select bioprotection yeast strains

Reduction of sulfur dioxide during winemaking is a request from the wine industry. To replace sulfur dioxide, various alternatives exist, including bioprotection by yeast inoculation. This practice consists in adding non-Saccharomyces yeasts directly on the grapes or must.

Read More

Composition and biological potential of grape and wine phenolic compounds

Polyphenols are common in human diets, primarily in plant-derived food and beverages. They influence multiple sensory properties such as aroma, flavour, colour, and taste, such as astringency and bitterness [1]. The major phenolic compounds in grapes and wines are anthocyanins and tannins (proanthocyanidins or condensed tannins).

Read More

Overcoming habit formation in the production of wine

Evidence indicates that climate change affects the environment, human health, and well-being via drought, increasing greenhouse effect, and climatic catastrophes. As the wine sector is also negatively affected by climate change, the role of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies is important in wine production. One example of an adaptation policy is the implementation of grapevine genetics (duchene, 2016), while organic farming may be used as an approach to mitigate the consequences of climate change (vinci et al., 2022). To this end, the european commission’s objective is to reach the european green deal target of at least 25% of the european union’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030.

Read More