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Sensory Evaluation of Wine and Commercial Realities: Review of Current Practices and Perspectives

¹ Director, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1 Canada.

^* Corresponding author (email: ilesschaeve{at}brocku.ca; tel: 905 688-5550; fax: 905 688-3104)

The attributes of a wine rely on the sensory acuity of the winemaker or the winemaker’s team. Depending on the winery operations or the style of wine made, the winemaker can be viewed as the expert crafting an artisan wine or producing a commercial alcoholic beverage designed to appeal to many consumers. The globalization of the wine market now enables more consumers to taste wines produced in foreign regions. Winemakers producing popular wines have been challenged by evolving consumer needs, values, and motivations for drinking wines, consumption habits, and greater product competition. This review discusses the tools sensory evaluation provides to assist winery operations by characterizing wine sensory properties and by better understanding consumer preferences in order to design better wine styles. By reviewing the scientific and marketing literature, key concepts are illustrated and new perspectives for consumer-driven winemaking and wine business strategies are proposed.

Key words: sensory evaluation, wine, expertise, winery operations