I was introduced to the wine world about 16 years ago, and in my quest to hone my wine knowledge I have tasted wines with the world’s top sommeliers and wine producers, attended a wide range of wine courses, acquiring certifications including passing the Level 1 Master Sommelier Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam. I have visited scores of wineries in Europe, North and South America, and after four years associated with a wine bar and reading a number of research papers and articles about the science of wine tasting, I will admit that the topic of wine and wine tasting is a very complicated one.

Distributors and wine producers try their best to simplify the topic with all sorts of wine bottle labels, stories, descriptions and sales gimmicks, and yet scientific research shows that even experts can’t judge wines accurately.

Journal of Wine Economics

A few years ago, papers written by Robert T Hodgson, professor emeritus, Humboldt State University Arcata, California, were published in the Journal of Wine Economics. He documented a number of experiments that he conducted over a few years at a leading wine fair in California. Each panel of four judges would be presented with a set of wines to sample and rate. Unbeknownst to them, some wines would be presented to the panel three times, poured from the same bottle each time. The results would be compiled and analysed to see whether wine testing really is scientific; this was not done once, but over a number of years.

“The results are disturbing,” says Hodgson. A wine rated 91 on one tasting would often be rated an 87 or 95 on the next. Some of the judges did much worse, and only about one in 10 regularly rated the same wine within a range of ±2 points. Hodgson also found that the judges whose ratings were most consistent in any given year landed in the middle of the pack in other years, suggesting that their consistent performance that year had simply been due to chance.

Red vs White — most can’t tell the difference…

I have conducted this experiment myself, by using black glasses and pouring white wine in one and red wine in the other. I told everyone to close their eyes and take a sip, and that they would be tasting two red wines. No one could tell the difference. This is an oft-repeated experiment in the industry.

Wine is a very complicated drink

After the fermentation of the grape juice takes place and wine is made, scientists have identified dozens of organic acids, varieties of alcohol, esters, aldehydes and sugars that exist in the wine, and these vary depending on a host of factors. Our tongue can only taste sweet, sour, bitter and salt — which is not found in wine. All the poetic descriptions about wine come from what we smell. There are hundreds of aroma compounds associated with each wine varietal and experts can be trained to identify the aroma associated with a certain varietal. It would be relatively easy for me to identify a Sauvignon Blanc vs an Oaky Chardonnay. Stack up four well-made Chardonnays with prices ranging from US$15, US$60, US$100 and US$150 and don’t tell anyone anything at all about them — this is where the fun begins.

There are countless experiments out there that prove and disprove a wide range of myths and truths about wine. It is a multimillion-dollar industry globally and it’s growing. It is one of the last affordable luxuries and is perhaps the only drink that can evoke emotional discussions and stories around religion, spirituality, agriculture, business, geography, science, culture, fashion, lifestyle, war and peace all at the same time, and I love it.

So ignore the critics and drink what you like and what tastes good to you.

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter: @Reckord