Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 3, 2026
05:17
Preparation of High-Quality Fermented Fish Product
Published on: August 23, 2019
11.1K
How do consumers describe wine astringency?
Leticia Vidal1, Ana Giménez1, Karina Medina1
1Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República. Gral. Flores 2124, CP. 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Food Research International (Ottawa, Ont.)
|April 24, 2017
Summary
Consumers use limited vocabulary for red wine astringency, often including terms like dryness and harshness. Existing scientific terms from the Mouth-feel Wheel are not widely recognized or used by consumers.
Area of Science:
- Oenology and Sensory Science
- Consumer Behavior in Food Science
Background:
- Astringency is a key sensory attribute in red wine, influencing consumer perception and preference.
- A structured vocabulary (Mouth-feel Wheel) exists for describing wine mouthfeel, but its alignment with consumer language for astringency is unverified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the vocabulary consumers employ to describe red wine astringency.
- To assess the influence of consumer wine involvement on their descriptive language for astringency.
Main Methods:
- An online survey administered to 125 wine consumers.
- Included open-ended questions, free listing tasks, a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) question using 44 literature-based terms, and a wine involvement questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Consumers frequently used terms like 'dryness' and 'harshness,' which are part of the Mouth-feel Wheel.
- Many specific Mouth-feel Wheel astringency sub-qualities were absent in consumer responses; terms like 'acid' and 'bitter' were also mentioned.
- Only 17 out of 31 Mouth-feel Wheel terms were used by over 10% of participants in the CATA task, with no significant differences based on wine involvement.
Conclusions:
- The current Mouth-feel Wheel terminology may not effectively communicate red wine astringency characteristics to the average consumer.
- Further research is needed to develop more consumer-centric language for describing wine astringency.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:24The Physiology of Taste
8.1K
The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the...
8.1K
02:42Acidity of 1-Alkynes
11.4K
The acidic strength of hydrocarbons follows the order: Alkynes > Alkenes > Alkanes. The strength of an acid is commonly expressed in units of pKa — the lower the pKa, the stronger the acid. Among the hydrocarbons, terminal alkynes have lower pKa values and are, therefore, more acidic. For example, the pKa values for ethane, ethene, and acetylene are 51, 44, and 25, respectively, as shown here.
11.4K
01:21Acidity of Carboxylic Acids
8.8K
Carboxylic acids are the strongest organic acids. However, their acidic strength is much less than mineral acids like HCl. Carboxylic acids ionize in water and readily lose the hydroxyl proton to form a resonance-stabilized carboxylate ion.
8.8K
02:36Acidity and Basicity of Alcohols and Phenols
22.5K
Like water, alcohols are weak acids and bases. This is attributed to the polarization of the O–H bond making the hydrogen partially positive. Moreover, the electron pairs on the oxygen atom of alcohol make it both basic and nucleophilic. Protonation of an alcohol converts hydroxide, a poor leaving group, into water—a good one. The two acid–base equilibria corresponding to ethanol are depicted below.
22.5K
01:14Conditioned Taste Aversion
1.2K
Conditioned taste aversion, also known as sauce béarnaise syndrome, is a phenomenon in which an individual develops an aversion to a certain food taste following a negative experience, typically illness. This form of aversion is a type of classical conditioning in which the taste of the food (conditioned stimulus, CS) is associated with the experience of illness (unconditioned stimulus, UCS).
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single...
A notable characteristic of conditioned taste aversion is that it often requires only a single...
1.2K
01:16Titration in Nonaqueous Solvents
1.4K
Most acid-base titrations are performed in an aqueous medium. In aqueous titrations, water competes with weaker acids or bases for proton donation or acceptance, leading to ambiguous endpoints in the titration curve. Water also affects the partial ionization of weak acids or bases. For example, water accepts a proton from acetic acid to form hydronium and acetate ions. The hydronium ion formed is a stronger acid than acetic acid, and the acetate ion is a stronger base than water. As a result,...
1.4K