Setting Up a Tasting Session 27
A second factor is that differences occur between tasters in their thresholds of taste
and smell. Substantial individual differences between perceived levels of sweetness, bitterness,
and odor identification thresholds have been found. Another potential pitfall is odor blind-
ness—where a person loses the ability to smell all odors or certain odors.
Other physiological factors that inhibit our ability to taste and smell include taste
modifiers (such as orange juice, mouthwash, or toothpaste), serving temperature (colder
temperatures decrease our perceptions of sweetness and body, mask odors, and increase our
perception of acidity), and smoking.
SETTING UP A TASTING SESSION
The following tasting session set-up suggestions can assist in minimizing many of the
issues identified as potential pitfalls.
The time of day has an impact on our ability to analyze wine elements. Generally, the
late morning is when our senses are most acute. The physical setting also has a substantial
impact. Having sufficient lighting (preferably natural) is a necessity. Bright colors in the
room should be avoided, along with harsh lighting and shiny surfaces. In addition to appro-
priate lighting, a white background should be provided to allow true color depth and hues
to be identified.
Glasses should be plain and unadorned, made from good-quality and relatively thin
glass or crystal. The INAO (Institut National des Appellation d’Origine) wine-tasting glass
is recognized as the standard. It has an egg-shaped bowl designed to enhance the concen-
tration of aroma and allow the wine to be swirled without spilling. It is relatively inexpensive
and can be purchased online or at local wine stores. The typical wine-tasting glass is about
6 to 7 inches tall (15–18 cm) and holds about 7 to 10 ounces of wine (20–30 cl).
Depending on the nature of the tasting, the room may be set up in what would
normally be an office, classroom, or dining area. However, more professional organizations
will install specially designed tasting rooms that allow tasters to sit down. In this situation,
each taster has a separate booth with partitions at the side and front. To the left of the booth
is a spittoon with running water to rinse the spittoon and for rinsing glasses. Most have a
shelf to the front of the taster that allows for glasses and other equipment to be placed. The
colors of the booth are usually neutral with a white background area in the center and some
sort of small spotlight for inspecting color and clarity.
The sequence in which wines are served can have an impact on wine evaluation. For
a consistent evaluation process, I recommend organizing the wine tasting much as you would
the ordering of wines for an elegant wine and food dinner. In general, you should taste
lighter wines before more full-bodied wines, lower-alcohol wines before higher-alcohol ones,
whites before reds, lighter aromatic wines before powerful ones, and dryer wines before
sweeter wines.
Temperature, of both the tasting room and the wine, is an important consideration in
wine tasting. Temperature has a substantial influence on our senses. The thermal sensitivity
of our mouth is primarily found above the thicker parts of our lips and on the tip of our
tongue. These are the areas that typically come in first contact with things that we eat or
drink and serve as a natural warning device. Most wine is tasted within the 50–68!F (10–
20 !C) range. When setting up a tasting, it is important to ensure that wines being compared
are tasted at the same temperature, for temperature has a significant impact on the way that
wine smells and tastes. It is also important to ensure that a consistent temperature is main-
tained throughout the evaluation process. Studies have shown that a variation of only 3–4!F
can explain discrepancies in the amount of tannin indicated by tasters of red wine.^10 A more
consistent temperature can be maintained by filling glasses no more than one-third full and
topping them off as the tasting progresses. Wine in a bottle will warm up to room temper-
ature more slowly than the wine in individual glasses. Wine poured in a glass that has an
initial temperature at or below 50!F (10!C) will warm up about two degrees every four