Wine components and interactions influencing the in-mouth sensory properties of Australian wine
The primary tastes of sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savoury (umami) are well defined and understood to direct our food choices. Overt bitterness in wine is generally considered acceptable and it is important to identify and learn to control bitterants in wine. Savoury characters in wine, although commonly reported in tastings are virtually unstudied. Sweet taste, even at low level, can strongly drive consumer preferences of beverages. Although wine sweetness is often ascribed to residual sugar it does not explain the sensation often described by winemakers as 'fruit-sweetness', which appears in 'dry' red wines. Beyond these basic tastes, there are the mouth-feel sensations, such as astringency, fullness (body) and viscosity, which together elicit the more complex experience of wine texture.
This project will aim to address fundamental questions regarding the compounds in wine that give rise to important in-mouth sensory properties, including tastes such as bitterness, savouriness and sweetness, as well as textural attributes such as astringency, viscosity and fullness. Recent work has found high concentration of strong amino acids (e.g. proline) in an Australian red wines from warm regions, which may add value to these products. Research will aim to understand how amino acids influence the in-mouth sensory properties of wine by interacting with other important taste-active wine components.
For other tastes such as bitterness and savouriness, the project will aim to identify new target compounds, to understand their origin and impact in wine. Work will continue to elucidate how these compounds can be manipulated in the vineyard and winery, allowing producers to more accurately achieve distinct wine styles. For all aspects of the project, a focus will be to understand the extend that interactions between compounds (or classes of compounds) underpin sensory response. Longer-term outcomes of the research will provide producer with strategies for the vineyard and winery to manage texture and taste outcomes in wine.
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