sensory - deborahparkerwong

Old Vines Have New Meaning

May 1, 2026 deborahparkerwong winegrowing, sensory, sensory science, SOMM Journal, Spain, Wine Tasting, Winemaking

Wines made from old vines have a more powerful phenolic structure, greater aromatic complexity, and more intensity with respect to expressing the characteristics of the vineyards they were sourced from.

Senses Perform Better Holistically, Not in Isolation

March 14, 2026 deborahparkerwong SOMM Journal, Olfaction, sensory, sensory science

Professionals who consider detecting and identifying aromas part of their stock in trade would be far more confident about their abilities if they had a better understanding of how the senses work together to interpret aromas.

Conquer wine headaches

January 16, 2026 deborahparkerwong Wine Tasting, Cabernet Sauvignon, sensory science, Wine, wine faults

Thanks to new research about quercetin, the list of culprits in wine falls into three primary categories: tannins, biogenic amines (BAs), and alcohol.

Stages of aphantasia, left to right aphantasia, hypophantasia, hyperphantasia.

Aphantasia, revealing the Blind Mind’s Eye

July 15, 2025 deborahparkerwong SOMM Journal, sensory, sensory science, Wine Tasting

Anywhere from 1% to 4% of the population is affected by aphantasia, meaning their mind’s eye is effectively blind.

Image (a) depicts bubbles ascending in a laser-etched glass containing 100 milliliters of Champagne; (b) shows a network of convective cells revealed through 3D computational fluid dynamics modeling; and (c) shows the corresponding velocity field along the axis of symmetry of the glass.

The Science of Bubbles

April 6, 2025 deborahparkerwong Champagne, France, glassware, Luxury, multisensory, Prosecco, sensory, sensory science, SOMM Journal, Sparkling wine, Wine Tasting

Bubbles are the hallmark of all sparkling wines, and they play a significant role in the cachet that surrounds this category. Even the terms “bubbles,” “mousse,” and “Champagne” elicit a pleasurable response in expert and novice consumers alike.

Chart showing the ten categories of volatile compounds in wine.

Hidden compounds: the secret to aromatic complexity

December 10, 2024 deborahparkerwong sensory, sensory science, SOMM Journal, Wine

Of the more than 1,000 compounds that make up wine’s aromatic profile, desirable aromas are represented by a combination of 82 different volatile compounds, only some of which are detectable when present above threshold.

Making scents of wine aromas

August 14, 2024 deborahparkerwong Scent, Aroma, sensory, SOMM Journal

A wine’s scent is one of the best indications of its quality. The hedonic effects of wine are influenced by hundreds of volatile aroma compounds, making it one of the most complex of food and
beverage products.

Reproducing Kopke’s 50-year old Tawny Port

June 27, 2024 deborahparkerwong SOMM Journal, Portugal, sensory, The Tasting Panel

With the creation of a new Tawny Port and White Port categories in March 2022, bottles sporting a 50-year age[…]

Wine aromas promote relaxation

February 13, 2024 deborahparkerwong sensory, Aroma, sensory science, SOMM Journal, Wine, Wine Tasting

Wine aromas are t work when we pour a glass of grassy Sauvignon Blanc and feel a deep sense of relief.

Decoding the Origins of Wine Aromas

October 2, 2023 deborahparkerwong SOMM Journal, Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot, sensory, sensory science

Researchers have identified compounds responsible for coconut and dried fruit aromas in red grape must and new wine.

Flavor-tripping with the miracle fruit Asaba

April 8, 2022 deborahparkerwong Perception, sensory, SOMM Journal

As a species, we’ve been eating and drinking to intentionally alter our states of perception ever since. For generations, the indigenous peoples of the Congo, Nigeria, and Ghana have used the fruit (and leaves) of Synsepalum dulcificum, a shrub indigenous to West
and Central Africa, in ethnomedicine. The taste-altering properties of this flavorless, bright-red berry—dubbed “the miracle fruit,” it’s about the size of a coffee bean—make for a fascinating sensory experience.

Thinking in Smell

August 20, 2019 deborahparkerwong sensory, sensory science, WSET

Of the five senses, smell in Western culture has gotten a bad rap. In the English language there are fewer positive equivalents for the sense of smell than there are for the other four senses. You might sniff out a deal or smell a rat but the terms for nose in our vocabulary particularly as they relate to wine are more often than not derogatory (snobby, snooty, snotty, etc.).

Big data supports expert wine tasters

August 23, 2018 deborahparkerwong Big Data, Blind Tasting, Research, sensory, sensory science, The Tasting Panel 2009, wine faults

In the course of developing software for predicting consumer wine preferences, a Houston-based start up, VineSleuth, shed new light on[…]

The trilemma of primary, secondary and tertiary aromas

August 12, 2017 deborahparkerwong Education, sensory, SOMM Journal, Wine

Primary wine flavors (the combination of aromas and tastes) come from the grape variety itself and are almost always fruity except when they’re not. Secondary aromas are those associated with post-fermentation winemaking and include yeast, lees, yogurt, cream, butter or cheese and a full spectrum of flavors derived from oak. Tertiary flavors are defined as deliberate oxidation, fruit development, bottle age or any combination thereof.