Influence of flavour perception on wine and food appreciation

Abstract

This review was carried out with the aim of clarifying the perceptions that develop during a wine tasting and the mechanisms by which they can best be combined with a meal. The first part concerns the main sensory parameters involved in a tasting, that is, the senses with which a certain type of wine can be judged. The chemical and sensory interactions were then evaluated, talking about senses such as sight, smell and taste. Getting to the heart of the review, we described the factors that deeply affect our brain during a tasting, highlighting physical, chemical, biological and psychological factors, defining the neophobia of wine through parameters such as the Wine Neophobia Scale, including how the unconditional fear of tasting new wines is created in person. Furthermore, it was added a small part dedicated to consumer segmentation, analysing the figure of the consumer and his various classes from a marketing perspective to better illustrate the new segments of potential buyers in the wine market and the different age groups concerned. The main components of food and wine pairing were then evaluated and taking into account the different parameters of judgment, then defining the different approaches during a pairing. Despite the little research in this field, hopefully this review will be useful to better understand the psychological and non-psychological interactions that relate to food and wine harmonizations, with the awareness that research from now on can be increasingly broad and efficient, to enjoy the whole of a correct combination between food and wine