Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

154 Chapter 7 Wine Texture Characteristics: Tannin, Oak, and Body

Finally, if not most importantly, the success of the Dıˆner Symbiose shows that the construction of a

strong sensory image is fundamental in the quest for customers’ trust, loyalty, and pleasure. In other words,

individuals’ own mental projections are essential in the definition of tastes.

Throughout this adventure, our students have been able to deepen their mastery of taste. They have

carried out original culinary experiments; they have thought long and hard about the conception of a gala

dinner, the key elements for success, and those elements that transmit the notion of the exceptional. Al-

though it is sometimes difficult to appreciate during their training, the students achieved a greater under-

standing of the essential role service and the table arts play in the success of any dinner.

TEXTURE IN WINE

Texture in wine is described using a variety of terms, includingbody, power, astringency,

andstructure. While food texture can have a range of touch or mouthfeel characteristics,

Tannin in wine is derived in

part by the amount of contact

with oak during the aging

process. Larger oak casks

impart less oak flavor and less

tannin than smaller oak

barrels.

wine texture is basically limited to three main areas:

a feeling of lightness or richness, a feeling of

smoothness or roughness, and the impact of tem-

perature. Textures are generally more easily and

consistently identifiable than components or fla-

vors. Wine lightness or richness character is de-

rived from several elements, predominantly alcohol

level, extract (particles of fruit that remain sus-

pended in the finished wine), and the wine’s vis-

cosity. Wine smoothness or roughness derives from

the tannic qualities of the wine being tasted. Grape

varietals, crushing procedures, the fermentation

process, the aging process, and the maturity of a

wine all impact the smooth-rough sensation.

Therefore, the overall wine texture is associated

with a number of factors, including grape varietal,

growing region, winemaking techniques, and the

age of the wine. To break this down into a more

meaningful form, the primary wine texture consid-

erations in the pairing process are defined as tannin

level, level of alcohol, presence and level of oak,

and an overall feeling of body.

The Paul Bocuse Institute, an establishment of higher education as international in its partnerships as in its student

intake, prepares students for careers in hotel and catering management and the culinary arts, leading to a professional

degree after three years or a master’s after five, both awarded by the Jean Moulin Lyon III University.

Philippe Rispal is a specialist in sensory analysis, professor of enology, and sommelier at the Paul Bocuse Insti-

tute. Yvelise Dentzer holds a doctor of arts degree and is a professor of history and social psychology of food at the

Paul Bocuse Institute. Paul James Kirrage is a faculty member at the Institute and translated the discussion from

French to English.