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What is the difference between aroma, flavour and texture?
The sensory testing of a wine is also known as organoleptic testing. It differs from analytical testing, which uses technical, physical and/or chemical tests to determine certain measured values (e.g. acidity, sugar content, alcohol content, etc.). Sensory testing, on the other hand, uses the senses to determine the quality of the wine. This involves the sense of sight (eye), the sense of smell (nose), the sense of taste (tongue) and the sense of touch (oral mucosa).
The appearance (visual test) assesses the colour and clarity of the wine.
The Odour (olfactory test) assesses the clarity, intensity, character and complexity:
- Is the odour clean, i.e. free of off-tones?
- How strong is the odour? (quantitative)
- What does the wine smell of? (qualitative)
- How many aroma components can be detected and how differentiated are they?
The Flavour (gustatory test) the same aspects are assessed, i.e. clarity, intensity, character and complexity:
- Is the flavour clean, i.e. free of off-flavours?
- How strong is the flavour? (quantitative)
- What does the wine taste like? (qualitative)
- How many flavour components can be identified and how differentiated are they?
Aromatics is the generic term for flavours and initially describes the fact that the wine has flavours, i.e. that it is aromatic. If a certain characteristic is attributed to the aroma, this indicates the basic category of aromas that the wine has (keyword: aroma wheel): If the wine has a "fruity aroma", this means that it smells and tastes (at least predominantly) of fruit (e.g. berries, cherries, plums, pome fruit, stone fruit, citrus fruits); if it has a "savoury aroma", notes of spices, herbs, tobacco or leather, for example, are in the foreground.
The majority of the Flavours is perceived through the nose. The tongue only registers the "coarse" flavours of sweet, sour, salty and bitter as well as umami (savoury, positively flavour-enhancing) and fatty (scientifically: oleogustus). The detailed flavour characteristics are registered retronasally, i.e. when the air rises from the oral cavity via the pharynx into the nose - smelling as you exhale, so to speak.
With the Texture(trigeminal/tactile test) assesses the characteristics of the wine that cannot be tasted or smelled but can be felt through the oral mucosa; examples include juicy, creamy, melting, soft, firm, pungent, cool or warming. Texture also includes criteria such as pressure, tang and length, and last but not least, alcohol is perceived tactilely: It doesn't taste like anything, but has a sharp effect - and that is not a flavour, but a sensation.