What is sensory science? How to make your wine tasting more objective.

Isabelle Lesschaeve Author

Sensory science enhances wine tasting, making it a more objective and insightful practice in the cellar, and a fun experience in the tasting room.

Are you a wine lover who sometimes feels lost in the world of wine tasting jargon? 

Or are you a wine business frustrated that classic tasting rituals don’t seem to connect with today’s consumer? 

If so, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely in the right place.

In this episode recap and expansion from the podcast We Taste Wine Differently - Episode 3, Isabelle Lesschaeve breaks down

• what "sensory science" really means, 
• how it revolutionizes the current practice of wine tasting, and 
• offers actionable techniques for making your tastings more objective, insightful, and results-driven.

Let’s dive in!

What Is Sensory Science, and Why Does It Matter in Wine?

At its heart, sensory science is the study of how people perceive products—through sight, smell, taste, touch, and yes, even hearing! In wine, this approach isn’t just about swirling, sniffing, and sipping for tradition’s sake. 

Instead, it’s using data and tested methods to understand what your senses are telling you—and why that matters.

Here’s an official definition from the American Society of Testing Materials (reference), as discussed in the podcast:

“Sensory science is a scientific discipline that uses human senses to assess consumer products. It involves evoking, measuring, analyzing, and interpreting reactions to stimuli perceived through sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.”

Of course, that’s the technical explanation. 

As Isabelle says, sensory science is simply "the study of how people perceive products through their senses."

Basically: what are people actually experiencing when they drink wine, not just what they’re ‘supposed’ to taste.

Sensory Science vs. Traditional Wine Tasting: What’s the Big Difference?

Let's face it—traditional wine judging is still the default in much of the wine world. 

That means quality checks focus on appearance, aroma, palate, and whether a wine fits specific criteria (is it "sound," typical of its region, or the "best of class"?). 

These decisions are made by experts, grounded in a mental checklist and accumulated years of knowledge and experience. 

The end goal? Quality compliance, market acceptance, and accolades.

Sensory science, by contrast, is about collecting objective data. The goal is not to judge value or rank wines. 

Instead, it’s about:

• Characterizing what’s actually perceived in the glass, without prior knowledge about what "should" be there.

• Capturing true feedback and whether wines fit consumer preferences or specific drinking occasions.

A sensory scientist asks questions like:

• “Are these wines perceived different?” (e.g., are the three Sauvignon Blanc clones you just tried producing distinguishable sensory profiles?)

• “How are they different?” (e.g., do some have more grapefruit notes? Is one more intense?)

• “Do target consumers actually like this wine?”

By rooting your process in these questions, you get a much clearer, unbiased view—a view backed by research, not just tradition.

Why Is Objectivity So Critical in Wine Tasting?

Objectivity means minimizing the tricks your brain plays based on assumptions, branding, or what you think you "should" taste.

Three Keys to Objective Sensory Tasting:

1. How the tasting is conducted:
   Use blind tasting, with no clue about winemaking methods, origins, or the producer. Sometimes even color is masked with black glasses!
   Why?
   Because as the famous Bordeaux experiment proved (Morrot et al.), coloring a white wine red led experts to use red wine descriptors. Your eyes and preconceptions will mislead you.

2. Who does the tasting:
   Sensory panelists aren’t chosen for wine knowledge, but for their sensory acuity, ability to describe perceptions, and consistency.
   Training ensures everyone’s using the same "language", ensuring they understand each other and so you. It’s for clear data.

3. What questions you ask:
   Sensory science uses proven test formats. You might start with a simple difference test (can you tell which samples are the same?), rank wines by sweetness, or, for deep dives, create full-fledged sensory profiles.

The power comes from replicated and aligned data—not just one or two expert tasters swayed by their biases.

Four Sensory Science Tips to Make YOUR Tastings More Objective (and Fun!)

Even if you run a boutique winery or host at-home tastings, you can borrow from the sensory science toolbox. 

Isabelle gives these four straightforward strategies:

1. Don’t share background info before tasting.
   No stories, no hopes, no technical deep-dives! Let the wine do the talking. This keeps preconceived notions at bay, letting people truly experience what’s in their glass.

2. Appoint a neutral moderator.
   Get someone unrelated to the winemaking team to run the tasting. This person coordinates blind pours, gives instructions, and moderates post-tasting feedback—minimizing the subtle nudges and body language that can bias results.

3. Blind the samples.
   Use coded glasses, rotate presentation order, and keep bottles entirely out of sight. Take special care to avoid strong-smelling markers to code the glasses or any visual cues that could distract attention. This is an easy, high-impact step for getting the most unbiased feedback.

4. Grow and train your panel.
   For a solid perspective, gather as many tasters as possible (from staff to friends/family). Even basic sensory training—recognizing main tastes, describing wine beyond "I like/don’t like," ranking on a familiar attribute—can make your internal tastings much more reliable.
   A simple annual training session can do wonders!

Why Should Wine Businesses Care?

Today’s wine consumer is more curious and less dogmatic than ever. Gone are the days when the “expert verdict” was the final word on what consumers would enjoy. 

People want to trust their own palates—and they crave a wine experience that helps them build that confidence.

If you run a tasting room, manage a wine club, or create wines, embedding sensory science practices in your operations will:

• Help your team and your customers connect over real, shared perceptions—not intimidating lists or cryptic vocabulary.

• Give you actionable feedback on your wines, rooted in what people genuinely sense and like.

• Set your brand apart as approachable, evidence-based, and truly guest-centric.

Bringing Sensory Science Home

Whether you’re a passionate wine enthusiast or a business owner, using sensory science principles lets you:

• Demystify wine tasting and remove intimidation and hidden biases.

• Build authentic, memorable wine experiences.

• Make data-driven, confident business decisions.

Remember, everyone's perceptions are valid. 

There is no right answer or absolute sensory "judgement."

With a few science-backed adjustments, you can deliver more reliable tasting data to make business decisions and turn wine tasting into an engaging, meaningful consumer experience.

Refer to the resource section for further exploration.

Resources

• Find the "We Taste Wine Differently" podcast on your favorite platform.
  
• Get the show notes here:
  Episode 3: What is sensory science? How to make your wine tasting more objective
• Lesschaeve I. and Noble A.C. (2022). Sensory Evaluation of Wine. In: Understanding and Managing Wine Quality (2nd Edition). Reynolds A. G. (ed.). Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology, and Nutrition.

Categories: : Best practices, Blog