Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2020 9 History and innovation of terroir 9 In search of the taste of terroir – a challenge for sensory science

In search of the taste of terroir – a challenge for sensory science

Abstract

The definition of terroir has evolved throughout history, from something clearly negative in the XVIth-XVIIIth century to a complex multi-parametric construct with positive connotations but also with many scientific unknowns. Terroir has always been linked more or less explicitly to the sensory properties of the resulting products.

Wine consumers have little access to objective terroir information and even if they had, it would be very difficult for them to interpret in terms of wine quality. In Europe, the proxy for terroir is the Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) system, which is what consumers have come to know. According to INAO “It is the notion of soil (terroir) that is the basis of the concept of Appellations d’origine” and results in a product with original and typical features.

From a cognitive point of view, terroir-based and other wine sensory categories have been approached from prototype categorization theory, according to which categories are stored in long-term memory as prototypes. The prototype would be abstracted from the instances of the category during previous tastings and shared between experts. The prototype is highly typical of the category and serves as reference to categorize new items. Such categories are based on family resemblance (instances from the same category share more features then instances from different categories) and are organized according to a typicality gradient.

The main sensory methods used to explore the structure of wine sensory categories are typically ratings and sorting tasks combined with descriptive analysis. The sensory studies dealing with PDO-based categories are scarce. Globally, the results suggest that PDO-based categories are quite difficult to distinguish sensorially. A possible explanation is that high within-category variability makes it difficult to pinpoint a prototype and yields quite fuzzy borders.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: March 19, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

Jordi Ballester1,2*

1 Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS, INRA, Université Bourgogne – Franche-Comté, F-21000 Dijon, France.
2 IUVV Jules Guyot, Université de Bourgogne, 1 rue Claude Ladrey, 21078 Dijon, France.

Contact the author

jordi.ballester@u_bourgogne.fr

Keywords

Terroir, PDO, typicality, expert panel, sensory concept

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Hormonal and associated metabolic changes in susceptible harvest-ripe grapes under asymptomatic and symptomatic Esca disease

Esca complex is a disease affecting grapevine trunks, characterized by the colonization of the wood by xylem-residing fungi (Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, Phaeoacremonium minimum and Fomitiporia mediterranea), and posing significant risks to vineyard longevity since no efficient treatment is available. Despite its prevalence, the mechanisms beyond symptomatic manifestations like interveinal chlorosis and leaf necrosis remain unclear. Preliminary findings indicated a more pronounced metabolic reprogramming in fruits compared to vegetative organs and a putative impact on wine quality by using fruits from symptomatic grapevines.

Read More

Metabolomics of Vitis davidii Foëx. grapes from southern China: Flavonoids and volatiles reveal the flavor profiles of five spine grape varieties

The spine grapes (Vitis davidii Foëx.) are wild grape species that grow in southern China, and can be used for table grapes, juicing and winemaking. To systematically investigate the flavor profiles of spine grapes, flavonoids and volatile compounds were detected in five spine grape varieties (Seputao, Ziqiu, Miputao, Tianputao and Baiputao) using HPLC-QqQ-MS/MS and GC-MS. The content of these compounds highly depended on the variety, such as the total concentrations of anthocyanins (91.43-328.85 mg/kg FW) and free norisprenoids (2.60 to 11.46 μg/kg FW).

Read More

Ten years soil diagnosis in vineyards, with particularly analysis of organic and microbial mass and measuring their evolution

Since 1996, we study the soil in viticulture, specially in the South of France. In the field, we delimit soil units and observe soil profiles and take samples to analyse its physical, mineral, organic and microbial mass composition

Read More

Towards microbiota-based disease management: analysis of grapevine microbiota in plots with contrasted levels of downy mildew infection

Vineyards harbor a myriad of microorganisms that interact with each other and with the grapevines. Some microorganisms are plant pathogens, such as the oomycete Plasmopara viticola that causes grapevine downy mildew. Others, such as plant growth promoting bacteria and disease biocontrol agents, have a positive influence on vine health. The present study aims to (1) investigate whether vine-based culture media increase the cultivability of the grapevine microbiota, in comparison to standard culture media and (2) identify and isolate bacterial taxa naturally present in grapevine leaves and significantly more abundant in plots showing low susceptibility to downy mildew.

Read More

Nitrogen forms and Iron deficiency: how do Grapevine rootstocks responses change?

Grapevine rootstocks provide protection against environmental biotic and abiotic stresses. Nitrogen (N) and iron (Fe) are growth-limiting factors in many crop plants due to their effects on the chlorophyll and photosynthetic characteristics. Iron nutrition of plants can be significantly affected by different nitrogen forms through altering the uptake ratio of cations and anions, and changing rhizosphere pH. The aim of this study was to investigate the response mechanisms of grapevine rootstocks due to the interaction between different nitrogen forms and iron uptake.

Read More