The organoleptic properties of wine address a bunch of characteristics and qualities that recognize one product from another. They are chemical-physical factors that are perceived at the visual and sensory level, i.e. what can be seen, smelled and tasted, in wine. But not only this. The organoleptic properties are also the set of reactions and emotions, more or less intense, that wine (or a portion of food in general) can arouse in a person.
The sensory analysis of wine includes many phases: visual analysis, olfactory analysis, gustatory analysis, and the final phase. During each of these phases, the wine is carefully “analyzed” from different points of view.
Finally, during the last phase, the concluding phase, the general sensations derived from the set of each parameter considered are described in detail. The state of evolution of wine is thus obtained, as well as its overall harmony.
organoleptic properties: Clarity, transparency and fluidity
Visual analysis is the first phase to be carried out when trying to understand the organoleptic properties of wine, whether red or white. Appearance is the first factor to be taken into account, a factor that is used to define very precisely the many organoleptic properties, which will be confirmed or not in the following phases.
The first thing that is evaluated is the color. This defines the wine in a significant way.
In addition to color, its cleanliness and transparency are evaluated. These two characteristics are used to better define the wine’s ability to let light shine through it and the possible presence of impurities or residues. It is therefore a parameter that evaluates the presence or absence of suspended particles.
In relation to clarity, wine can be:
– Cloudy
– Fairly clear
– Limpid
– Crystalline
– Bright
organoleptic properties: Effervescence, foam, and color
The “effervescence” factor has a separate chapter. This is one of the organoleptic properties of wines that, once uncorked, develop bubbles (technically defined as “perlage”). When a bottle is opened, in fact, the wine releases a small amount of carbon dioxide, a gaseous substance at room temperature. This substance dissolves easily in aqueous solutions, just as wine does. When bottles are opened, carbon dioxide is released, the bubbles of which are typical of sparkling wines.
How much carbon dioxide is present in wine relies upon temperature and strain or pressure. Carbon dioxide adds to the arrangement of foam or froth. Moreover, it improves the color of the sparkling wine, its smell, and its splendor. Bubbles likewise build up the product’s vibe of freshness. Bubbles are classified as fine, numerous, or persistent.
Organoleptic characteristics
Here, the organoleptic characteristics:
Red wine
A garnet ruby color, taking on brownish hues with age, with a fruity aroma when young, develops with age to more complex aromas (bouquet), where the flavor of its solid structure is softened.
Rosé wines
Reddish orange color, fruity flavor, shows the varieties of which, stand out in particular the typical variety of Baga.
The acidity is moderately high, leaving a lot of freshness in the mouth.
White wines
Citrine color loaded, sometimes with greenish reflections, fruity aroma when new, evolving to a resinous note when aged, soft, fresh and persistent flavor.
Sparkling wines
Produced by the traditional fermentation method in the bottle. Depending on the degree of sweetness the sparkling wines can be:
– Brut Nature under 3 grams of residual sugar.
– Extra Brut from 0 to 6 grams of sugar.
– Brut less than 12 grams of sugar.
– Extra dry from 12 to 17 grams of residual sugar.
– Sparkling dry from 17 to 32 grams of sugar.
– Semi-dry from 32 to 50 grams of sugar.
The young ones have floral or fruity aromas, while the older ones have aromas coming from more or less prolonged contact with the lees of the second fermentation.
What determines the organoleptic properties of wine?
The organoleptic properties of beer and wine, such as mouthfeel, appearance, bouquet, aroma, and flavor, are determined by hundreds of yeast metabolites produced during alcoholic fermentation. In addition to flavor masking and flavor enhancement strategies, the balance of these fermentative flavors can be significantly influenced by the choice of yeast strain. Characterization, development, or improvement of (new) beer and wine varieties with respect to yeast performance during alcoholic fermentation often requires laboratory/pilot scale testing of relatively large numbers of yeast strains in real product environments. This laborious and time-consuming process can be improved by using microscale product screening: MicroVinification and MicroBeer.
Wine evaluation
From the beginning, wine production has been linked to sensory evaluation, since the choice of wine is based on the impressions it leaves on the individual, the “wine lover”. Although today numerous physical and chemical analyses are used that determine with great precision the chemical composition, sensory evaluation is indispensable for assessing wine quality. In early wine evaluations, until the first half of the 20th century, metaphors were used to describe wine impressions, whereas today wines are mainly evaluated according to strictly defined criteria. Sensory evaluation of wine quality is based on the assessment of clarity, color, aroma, taste, and touch.
Wine sensory evaluation methods can be descriptive and numerical. In descriptive methods of wine evaluation, the evaluators describe their impressions in words, while in numerical methods the individual properties are expressed in numbers. In the Republic of Croatia, the sensory evaluation of wine conforms to the international standards of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) and is defined by the national regulations: the Wine Act and the Ordinance on the organoleptic (sensory) evaluation of wines and fruit wines.
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