Taste, taste, do you love the taste?

What exactly is taste, anyway?

Is it actually smell? The vast majority (think 80%+) of what we call ‘taste’ in everyday conversation is actually smell driven. While this may sound ridiculous, consider how well you were able to ‘taste’ the last time you had a cold – despite your tongue being in peak condition, you likely found everything quite bland. This is why our wine tasting extraordinaire Alder Yarrow employs a technique called orthonasal olfaction; he breathes air in through the mouth (ortho) and forces it out of the nose (nasal), thereby carrying scent molecules directly to the comparatively sensitive odor receptors.

Is it genetic? George HW Bush famously said “I’m the president of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli”. But is this him being picky, or is it in his genes? He may very well have a variant of TAS2R38, making him very sensitive to the bitterness of broccoli. This same gene (and its kin) explain why some folks find IPAs incredibly bitter and deep reds unpalatable no matter how much protein/fat they’re paired with. These genetic differences mean it’s very possible you find a wine deeply tannic, while the person holding the glass across from you just finds it astringent, and you’re both right. Source

Is it in our head? We have weird associations in our head that come together with the signals from our nose and our tongue to form a full picture we call “taste”. This is why oysters taste better when you’re by the ocean; the sight, sound, and touch of food play a role in your perception due to your brain’s ability to make associations. This was incredibly useful back when we had to remember what plants not to eat when foraging, however it’s more of a hindrance when wine tasting. Example 1: wine tastes better when you think it’s expensive, not only because you feel social pressure, but also because your brain actually convinces you it’s so. Example 2: a panel of wine tasting professionals drank Sauvignon and Sémillon colored red, and came up with almost exclusively red wine tasting notes in their descriptions – researchers propose these pros had been primed for tasting notes by the color, again demonstrating why our intuitions can deceive us.

If it’s actually smell, genetically variable, and highly subjective based on past experience, again I ask: taste, taste, do you love the taste?