The actual flavor and taste perception of the wine drinker is created in the brain rather than the wine itself in the mouth, according to Gordon Shepherd, a professor of neuroscience at Yale.
Shepherd is advocating a new approach to tasting that focuses on the fact that true flavor perception is created in the brain. Shepherd’s new book, Neuroenology: How The Brain Creates The Taste of Wine, focuses on our sensory response to food and wine combine to create what we think of as flavor in things that don’t inherently possess it.
Interestingly, the molecules in wine don’t directly have a taste or flavor, what they actually do is stimulate our brains which then turns those chemical responses into our perception of flavor. It is the reason why different individuals can drink the same bottle of wine yet have distinctly different opinions regarding the wines taste. Our past experiences or inputs influence our perception of taste. The brain also learns and can be trained, so open up a new bottle of wine this evening and enjoy the unique taste that only you can truly appreciate!
Source: the drinks business, April 2017