The taste of wine is perceived by our nose and mouth, but it's thanks to our brain that we can visualize it. In this complex mechanism, the sensory system is easily influenced.
A golden color, the scent of hazelnut and ripe mirabelle plum, brioche aromas, umami and acidic flavors, a soft, enveloping texture and medium temperature. All this information from our senses reaches the brain at the same time. It receives it, selects it, prioritizes it and then synthesizes it to build a mental image of the wine. The brain works to reconstruct the taste.
To do this, it looks to memory. It probes the outside with what's stored inside. Emotions also come into play. There's no single place in the brain responsible for perceiving wine. It's constantly adapting to context and experience.
Visual information can overwhelm us
For the human species, the sense of sight is primordial. The brain relies above all on vision, even if this means inhibiting olfactory and gustatory centers, as demonstrated by a famous experiment carried out by Gil Morrot, Frédéric Brochet and Denis Dubourdieu in 2001. A white and a red wine were tasted by 54 oenology students. The red wine was in fact the same white wine with added colorant. To describe it, the students used olfactory descriptors usually reserved for red wine.
The experiment illustrates confirmation bias. The brain tends to confirm what it knows and anticipates. In a classic tasting (visual, olfactory then gustatory examination), we seek to validate by smell what we have seen, then to confirm in the mouth what we have smelled. Expecting to taste a red wine is already perceiving it as a red wine, so using an opaque container can give rise to a different vision of the wine.
We don't all smell the same
Olfaction is our most advanced sense. Our olfactory system uses over 400 receptors, compared with 3 receptors for vision.
A smell can take two routes. When smelling above the glass, odors are carried through the nose by the orthonasal route to the olfactory mucosa at the top of the nasal cavity. When the wine is in the mouth, it warms up and mixes with saliva, with subtle odor compounds (called aromas rather than "smells") mingling with the flavors.odors) mingle with flavors (salty, acidic, sweet, bitter, umami) and travel up the back of the mouth to the olfactory mucosa on exhalation.
To identify the taste, our brain compares it with the olfactory memory library. Other areas of the brain are activated. The brain processes the smell emotionally, links it to words or memories, probes our internal state (our appetite, for example)...
However, despite its great capacities, the sense of smell is the one with the greatest genetic variation. Two individuals have at least 30% of their receptors functionally different. For example, one-third to one-half of the population cannot smell the beta ionone molecule that makes up violet. This "olfactory color blindness" complicates the discussion of what we smell.
All the more so as experience plays a part in these variabilities. For the same fragrant cocktail, the linguistic frame of reference will differ from one person to another, depending on their experience or culture. If we can smell green bell pepper in certain wines, Chinese tasters who are unfamiliar with this vegetable will be more likely to speak of ginseng root, since the two have common chemical components.
Tasting is all about memory
In 2014, researchers at the Besançon University Hospital analyzed how wine-related taste sensations are processed in the brains of sommeliers and neophytes. MRI revealed a slower, more diffuse, more emotional reaction in the latter. In the sommeliers' brains, on the other hand, the responses were more analytical, condensed in a small area, drawing precisely on an ordered memory. These two systems of thought - analytical (what is it) and emotional (do I like it or not) - coexist in our brains. We can describe a wine without saying whether we like it, and we can like it without describing it. The expert can take either route.
Tasting therefore requires an essential organ: the brain. A rich memory and the ability to mobilize it are the strengths of wine analysis. The good news is that it's only a matter of practice.
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Hotels & Bed & Breakfast
Maison Heler, Philippe Starck's signature hotel opens in Metz
With its house perched on a building, Maison Heler is unlike any other hotel. Conceived as an "inhabitable, surrealist and literary work of art", this new address intrigues as much as it fascinates. Located in the Architecture district, just a stone's throw from the Centre Pompidou, it is part of the development of the area supported by Hilton. A story of its own, born of a tale imagined by Philippe Starck.
A hotel between heaven and earth
The 9-storey Maison Heler is topped by a house inspired by 19th-century Lorraine architecture. From the 2nd to the 8th floor, the hotel offers 104 sleek rooms and suites. With concrete walls and pink marble, the décor is modern, elegant and poetic. The 9th floor boasts five private lounges, ideal for business events or relaxation, with a breathtaking view of the city.
Two restaurants, two atmospheres
On the first floor, Rose's cuisine takes the form of a romantic brasserie. Open all day, it offers warm, simple cuisine: weekly and seasonal menus, healthy, comforting dishes, and Rose's specialty: the tart of the day. Rose's Bar extends the experience, in a relaxed atmosphere, with cocktails featuring local and floral flavors.
upstairs, La Maison de Manfred has a more subdued feel, with wood and leather furnishings, warm colors, a family dining room and panoramic views over Metz. Artist Ara Starck designed 19 stained-glass windows, including a monumental one, projecting cathedral-like light across the room. French contemporary cuisine is served à la carte or on a five-course menu. The more intimate Bar de Manfred offers a selection of original cocktails, including the M+R - a combination of truffle-infused cognac and cherry - as well as a wide choice of wines.
A world of its own
Maison Heler was inspired by the novel La Vie minutieuse de Manfred Heler , a novel imagined by, to accompany the architectural project. It follows the character of Manfred Heler, an orphan living alone in the family home, who occupies his time by dreaming up all sorts of inventions to escape boredom. One day, the earth begins to shake and his house rises above the city.
The hotel immerses visitors in this poetic universe. Surreal objects, nods to imaginary inventions and unusual details punctuate the spaces between dream and everyday life. An address that offers much more than a simple stay: an immersion in a story of its own.
Price: From 170 euros
Where? 31 Rue Jacques Chirac, 57000 Metz
There's no need to spend a fortune to treat yourself: there are some great rums available at low prices. Here are eight bottles under €50, selected for their personality and excellent value for money.
Gault&Millau, le magazine: issue 7 on newsstands
Issue 7 of Gault&Millau hits newsstands this Thursday, November 21. Immerse yourself in the world of gastronomy, with never-before-seen trends, captivating interviews with chefs and gourmet addresses that are a must-discover.
Organized for the first time in France, the Coupe du Monde de la Boucherie was held in Paris on March 30 and 31, 2025. France triumphed in all categories.
Le Voyage des Mangeurs: an itinerant culinary adventure in Auvergne
Jean Covillaut and Pierre Reure, both of whom made their name on Top Chef, will be presenting their traveling restaurant in Auvergne in April. Beware, there won't be room for everyone!
