Astringency evaluation of Tannat wines: Comparison of assessments from trained assessors and experts

Abstract

Astringency is one of the differential characteristics of Tannat wine, the emblematic wine of the Uruguayan wine‐making industry. The aim of this study was twofold: First, to compare wine astringency characterization of experts and trained assessors, and second, to identify which astringency characteristics influence experts' perception of astringency quality. Six commercial Uruguayan Tannat wines were evaluated in triplicate by a trained assessors panel (n = 9). Assessors rated the global astringency intensity using a time‐intensity task, and described astringency subqualities using a check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) question composed of 16 terms. Samples were also assessed by 30 experts who rated astringency intensity and quality using 9‐point structured scales. In addition, experts described astringency subqualities of samples and of their ideal high‐quality Tannat wine using a CATA question. Significant differences among samples were found in astringency intensity for both panels and expert's perceived quality. Agreement between trained assessors and experts in astringency intensity evaluations was observed, but differences in their description of astringency subqualities were found. Astringency quality as perceived by experts was not related only to astringency global intensity; astringency subqualities complex and velvety were the main drivers of astringency quality, while puckery, sand paper, and irritant significantly lowered quality scores. Practical applications Wine astringency characterization is a very complex task that should ideally be performed by a group of trained assessors following standardized protocols. However, most wineries still rely on the judgment of wine experts for decision‐making. Results from the present work suggest that although trained assessors and experts evaluated wine astringency similarly, their description of astringency subqualities strongly differed.

Current Research Related to Wine Sensory Perception Since 2010

“…Sensory analysis of wine should ideally be carried out by a trained panel to obtain accurate and reliable sensory data [34]. Sensory properties show the perceived differences amongst the samples and can be related to the hedonic responses of consumers [28].…”

“…Trained panels screened by their discriminative ability are specialized for descriptive analysis and typically participate in several training sessions to further develop their discrimination ability [39]. However, in some cases, wine experts were considered as having a better ability to describe and evaluate wine due to wine complexity [34,40,41]. In addition, experts enable to identify wine defects and evaluate how a wine typifies the variety, region, or style it represents [42].…”

“…Studies have been conducted to compare the discrimination and evaluation ability of trained panels. These aimed to determine their expertise regarding wine quality or characteristics, including complexity and astringency [19,34]. Hopfer and Heymann [19] compared the ability of experts and trained panelists to judge wine quality using 27 Cabernet Sauvignon wines based on the California Wine Competition awards.…”

“…When comparing discriminative ability, the trained panel group showed a balanced profile with detectable differences between attributes, while the expert group had high inconsistency among wine judges. Vidal et al [34] compared the assessment ability of trained assessors and experts based on astringency using six Tannat wines. In their study, both panels could discriminate samples, but trained assessors showed higher ability to discriminate sample astringency.…”

“…This may be explained by the fact that the studies did not just involve wine categorization, but also sensory evaluation involving developing sensory terms and rating intensities. Experts are known to evaluate wine based on their wine experience and knowledge [19,34,50], but this tendency may lead them to assess subjectively and inconsistently. To obtain reliable assessment by wine experts, it is crucial to advance their ability to objectively measure the sensory characteristics of wine [51].…”