Organoleptic

Definition - What does Organoleptic mean?

Organoleptic is the way that one uses the senses to evaluate and judge the quality or tastes in wine by using the sensory organs like sight, taste and smell to take in the flavors, nuances, textures and aromas that are special to that particular wine. There are also some specific organoleptic properties present in wine that trigger the sensory organs.

WineFrog explains Organoleptic

Organoleptic tasting is simply using the senses to figure out how the wine is recognizable to each drinker. The organoleptic properties like aroma, crispness, freshness, sweetness, fruitiness, are different for each person and should not be necessarily compared when evaluating wine. As each person’s sensory organs have preferences and likes, the different characteristics of wine and organoleptic tastes will be different as well.

Some individuals have higher thresholds for characteristics like bitter, sweet or fruity flavors, and acknowledging these differences and tolerances can help evaluate the wine on an objective level. If using an organoleptic analysis, the drinker should use terms that everyone can understand when describing the wine to prevent any confusion about chemical and unquantifiable characteristics.