Augmented taste of wine by artificial climate room: Influence of temperature and humidity on taste evaluation

Abstract

In previous research, there is a augmenting device limited taste influences due to limited contact with utensils. However, in the situation such as enjoying wine while talking with other people and matching cheese with wine, the solution that limits human behaviors must not have been acceptable. So, we focused on changing the temperature and humidity when drinking wine. To study the influence of temperature and humidity on the ingredients and subjective taste of wine, we conducted wine tasting experiments with 16 subjects using an artificial climate room. For the environmental settings, three conditions, i.e., a room temperature of 14°C and humidity of 35%, 17°C and 40% humidity, and 26°C and 40% humidity, were evaluated. In one of the two wines used in the experiment, significant differences in [Color intensity], [Smell development] and [Body] were detected among conditions (p < 0.05). We further investigated changes in the components of the two wines at different temperature conditions (14°C, 17°C, 23°C, and 26°C). Malic acid, protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, and epicatechin were related to temperature in the former wine only. In conclusion, we confirmed that we can change the taste evaluation of wine by adjusting temperature and humidity using the artificial climate room, without attaching the device to human beings themselves. This suggests the possibility to serve wine in a more optimal environment if we can identify the type of wine and person's preference.