TY - JOUR

T1 - How does wine ageing influence perceived complexity?

T2 - Temporal-Choose-All-That-Apply (TCATA) reveals temporal drivers of complexity in experts and novices

AU - Wang, Qian Janice

AU - Niaura, Tadas

AU - Kantono, Kevin

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Complexity is an important component of food and drink, especially for experience/hedonic goods such as wine. However, the contribution of the temporal aspects of the tasting experience to such top-down cognitive evaluations of wine is not well-understood. In this study, we assessed how the length of wine ageing influenced the perceived complexity and temporal evolution of flavours, as judged by wine experts (N = 22) and novices (N = 60). A total of six Madeira wines, from two grape varieties and three ageing points, were served blind. Participants first rated the complexity of each wine before using Temporal-Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) methodology to evaluate eight taste and flavour attributes over 120 s. Finally, participants provided free-text descriptions of wine complexity. Results demonstrated that wine experts, but not novices, were able to discriminate between wines according to complexity. Moreover, TCATA results mirrored the complexity results showing experts were able to better discriminate between the samples, with older wines exhibiting different flavour trajectories and longer aftertaste durations compared to younger wines. For both novices and experts, complexity ratings were associated with the total number of attributes, flavour duration, and overall intensity, but not how much the wine changed during the tasting experience. Free-text results revealed having multiple flavours as the most important self-rated feature of wine complexity, although experts reported temporal factors more than novices. Taken together, our results indicate previously uncharted differences in how experts and novices use temporal aspects in their evaluation of wine complexity.

AB - Complexity is an important component of food and drink, especially for experience/hedonic goods such as wine. However, the contribution of the temporal aspects of the tasting experience to such top-down cognitive evaluations of wine is not well-understood. In this study, we assessed how the length of wine ageing influenced the perceived complexity and temporal evolution of flavours, as judged by wine experts (N = 22) and novices (N = 60). A total of six Madeira wines, from two grape varieties and three ageing points, were served blind. Participants first rated the complexity of each wine before using Temporal-Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) methodology to evaluate eight taste and flavour attributes over 120 s. Finally, participants provided free-text descriptions of wine complexity. Results demonstrated that wine experts, but not novices, were able to discriminate between wines according to complexity. Moreover, TCATA results mirrored the complexity results showing experts were able to better discriminate between the samples, with older wines exhibiting different flavour trajectories and longer aftertaste durations compared to younger wines. For both novices and experts, complexity ratings were associated with the total number of attributes, flavour duration, and overall intensity, but not how much the wine changed during the tasting experience. Free-text results revealed having multiple flavours as the most important self-rated feature of wine complexity, although experts reported temporal factors more than novices. Taken together, our results indicate previously uncharted differences in how experts and novices use temporal aspects in their evaluation of wine complexity.

U2 - 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104230

DO - 10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104230

M3 - Journal article

JO - Food Quality and Preference

JF - Food Quality and Preference

SN - 0950-3293

M1 - 104230

ER -