Articles
Interdisciplinary perspectives on the taste of Chenin
Article number
1430_31
Pages
213 – 218
Language
English
Abstract
Chenin blanc is a versatile grape variety.
With elegant aromas coupled to a rich structure grounded on a solid acidity, Chenin blanc wines can be dry, semi-sweet, sweet, botrytized or sparkling.
Chenin is now a world-class grape variety, produced in its home region of the Loire Valley but also in several countries notably in South Africa.
The great diversity of Chenin wine styles reflects an ongoing enthusiasm for Chenin but this trend may also confuse the consumer.
In that context, how to describe and communicate on the taste of Chenin? Do all wines of Chenin share a common sensory profile? Is the diversity of Chenin a signature of its capacity to transmit different messages and an added value for pairing with different food? To tackle these questions, a roundtable at the 2019 Chenin Blanc International Congress brought together various experts to exchange about the taste of Chenin from different perspectives.
The sommelier gave some insights on how to appreciate the taste of Chenin in the light of food pairing.
The international wine critic explained its methods to compare, classify and judge the different wines of Chenin from around the world.
From the scientific perspective, researchers in enology shared some recent progress in deciphering the sensory markers of Chenin while researchers in neurosciences described how the brain makes sense of Chenin sensory attributes and discussed the popular descriptor minerality. Lastly, wine producers illustrated how they combine their know-how and their terroirs to generate such diversity of Chenin wine styles.
Altogether, these interdisciplinary views highlighted some new elements to better capture the different sensory dimensions of the taste of Chenin and its current evolution.
With elegant aromas coupled to a rich structure grounded on a solid acidity, Chenin blanc wines can be dry, semi-sweet, sweet, botrytized or sparkling.
Chenin is now a world-class grape variety, produced in its home region of the Loire Valley but also in several countries notably in South Africa.
The great diversity of Chenin wine styles reflects an ongoing enthusiasm for Chenin but this trend may also confuse the consumer.
In that context, how to describe and communicate on the taste of Chenin? Do all wines of Chenin share a common sensory profile? Is the diversity of Chenin a signature of its capacity to transmit different messages and an added value for pairing with different food? To tackle these questions, a roundtable at the 2019 Chenin Blanc International Congress brought together various experts to exchange about the taste of Chenin from different perspectives.
The sommelier gave some insights on how to appreciate the taste of Chenin in the light of food pairing.
The international wine critic explained its methods to compare, classify and judge the different wines of Chenin from around the world.
From the scientific perspective, researchers in enology shared some recent progress in deciphering the sensory markers of Chenin while researchers in neurosciences described how the brain makes sense of Chenin sensory attributes and discussed the popular descriptor minerality. Lastly, wine producers illustrated how they combine their know-how and their terroirs to generate such diversity of Chenin wine styles.
Altogether, these interdisciplinary views highlighted some new elements to better capture the different sensory dimensions of the taste of Chenin and its current evolution.
Authors
G. Lepousez, H. Nieuwoudt, P. Poupault, C. Van Zyl, D. Biraud, K. Forrester, P. Baudouin
Keywords
Chenin blanc, wine tasting, wine flavor profile, wine characteristics, wine regions, wine production, viticulture, winemaking, terroir, grape varieties, wine aroma, wine acidity, wine sweetness, wine complexity, wine structure
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