Abstract
Astringency is often difficult to evaluate accurately in wine because of its complexity. This accuracy can improve through training sessions, but it can be time-consuming and expensive. A way to reduce these costs can be the use of wine experts, who are known to be reliable evaluators. Therefore, the aim of this work was to compare the sensory results and the panel performance obtained using trained panelists versus wine experts (winemakers). Judges evaluated twelve red wines for in-mouth basic perception (sweet, sour, bitter, astringent, and burning sensation) following the same tasting protocol and with the samples being presented in two different tasting modalities. Panels’ performance and relationship between the chemical composition and the sensory perception were investigated. Both panels showed similar consistency and repeatability, and they were able to accurately measure the astringency of the wines. However, the significant correlations between sensory scores and chemical composition varied with the panel and the tasting modality. From our results, we could see that winemakers tended to discriminate better between the samples when the differences were very small.
Highlights
Mouthfeel plays an important role in the quality of red wines [1]
All the wines were dry red wines with very low levels of sugars, an alcohol content higher than 13%, and pH, titratable acidity, and volatile acidity levels within the range normally described in these types of wines
This study showed that both a trained panel and experts were able to accurately evaluate the same red wines and to reach consensus
Summary
Mouthfeel plays an important role in the quality of red wines [1]. It includes basic taste and other sensations, such as temperature, burning, body, prickling, and astringency. Astringency is probably the most important of these in-mouth sensations, as it contributes to the complexity and quality of red wines [2,3,4] This attribute has been defined as “the complex of sensations due to shrinking, drawing, or puckering of the epithelium as a result of exposure to substances such as alums or tannins” [5]. It is described as a combination of different feelings, especially drying and roughness [6], and even though most people are familiar with it, it is often difficult to evaluate. The perceived intensity of the astringency varies with the type of tannins and with the wine matrix: Ethanol, anthocyanin, and polysaccharide levels have been shown to play an important role when studied in model wine [14,15]
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