Emotions and their objectivity: sensory analysis
In the complex world of tasting there are many figures that can be considered similar, but in reality they are not “Assaggiatore and Degustatore”, which in English are translated with the same word (Taster and Taster). Well, now we will dispel these doubts and clarify the difference. First of all we will translate into English the verb “ASSAGGIARE” with to Taste Technically and the verb “DEGUSTARE” with To Taste.
Whoever Tastes derives a subjective pleasure from food, while the Tasting technique is reserved for specially trained people who, by profession, perform an objective sensory analysis and then express a judgment.
Emotion as the driving force behind our choices
Interaction with an element generates emotion, food itself is emotion and emotions form our unconscious baggage that leads us to make certain choices. The important thing is to understand consumer preferences and, if possible, to guide them towards satisfaction. To study subjective and changeable sensations from individual to individual, it is necessary to try to make them objective, or at least try. The question that can be asked: is it possible to make subjective sensations objective?
Sensory analysis: the difference between To taste (degustatore) and Technical Tasting(assaggiatore)
Let’s try to give an answer: first of all we must make a distinction between Degustare (to taste) and Assaggiare (technical taste). The first term is linked to the detection of the organoleptic characteristics of the wine in question through the aid of the senses, for pure hedonism and to delight the palate; tasting (technical tasting), on the other hand, derives from the Latin “exigere” which means to weigh, to examine.
What is sensory evaluation?
It is a set of methods that allow our sense organs, adequately trained, to perceive the characteristics of any product ,in our case wine ,and translate it into an objective, measurable and repeatable evaluation over time
Technical tasting methodology and characteristics of the panel of technical tasters
For a sensory analysis to be statistically significant, it must be conducted through a group of technical tasters, called a panel, made up of 8-12 expert tasters, trained and guided by a panel leader, who guarantees maximum reliability and uniformity both within the group he coordinates and with respect to panels present in the various Regions of their countries. During a sensory evaluation, man himself is the measuring instrument and since we all possess the necessary tools to process a stimulus in a critical manner, it is easy to understand how it is not necessary to be technicians to taste with awareness: training makes the difference.
Sight
Sight, which over time has come to assume a preponderant importance, allows us to perceive all the shades of color that the wine presents and which already gives us general indications on the quality and freshness and evaluation of the wine.
Smell: and how it works
With smell, the primitive sense par excellence and too often overlooked, we try to identify the highest number of odorous molecules to which we semantically associate a meaning. Smell works both through direct inspiration from the nose and through indirect retro-olfaction, through the oral cavity. Smell allows us to classify a product, attributing a positive or negative meaning to it.
Taste: infinite information
With taste, through the taste buds, we perceive the savory sensations: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (the latter does not concern wine); inside the mouth, moreover, the nerve endings of the trigeminal also arrive, allowing us to identify further perceptions such as burning, spicy, astringent metallic. Finally, due to the structure of the oral cavity as a whole, we recognize some physical stimuli such as fluidity, viscosity, density or palatability. The latter indicates the pleasantness of the taste of a given food, also taking into account the adhesiveness, chewiness, smell and appearance.
Touch, check the consistency
Through touch, a sense organ spread throughout the body, we differentiate soft from rough, hot from cold, greasy from dry.
Hearing is a sense organ that is not used in our case
Conclusion
All sensory analysis data contributes to paint a very specific picture of the wine’s attributes, and this is why sensory analysis is important for a winery before launching a new wine.