feature / ferment / geosensory tasting
GEOSENSORY TASTING: THE REBIRTH OF AN ANCIENT PRACTICE Coined in the 1990s by Jacky Rigaux, the term “geosensory tasting”
refers to a method practiced in Burgundy some nine centuries ago by the
so-called gourmets. Without relying on the senses of sight or smell, they were trusted to verify the viticultural origins of wines. As Anick Goumaz relates, this challenging and intriguing technique is now coming back into fashion and being taught increasingly widely, from France and Switzerland, to Shanghai Translated into English by James K Finkel
As a result, aromas are mainly perceived in retro-olfaction, G
eosensory tasting is a very old practice, dating back to the Burgundy Gourmet Guild. In France, for the most part, it has been revived in recent years. In a few words, it consists of giving less importance to olfaction and therefore to aromas.
i.e., in the mouth. And why the term “geosensorial?” Because, according to its origin and the people who advocate this method, it transmits far more messages linked to the place of production than tasting based mainly on aromas. A wine-geek story? Yes and no... At present, the subject seems to appeal mainly to a niche audience. The mention of geosensory tasting raises the eyebrows of most people, whether amateurs or professionals, but it also has the potential to be popularized. After all, we’re not all equal when it comes to understanding aromas. Enophile and neurobiologist Gabriel Lépousez, who conducts research into sensory perception at the Institut Pasteur, demonstrated this on the “La Terre à Boire” podcast. He took the example of beta-ionone, the molecule responsible for the violet aroma in wine: “This beta-ion molecule activates only one of our 400 olfactory receptors. In the human population, some people have sensors that work well and others not at all. This is just one example of what we regularly rediscover on the olfactory scale. There’s a lot of variability.” Although mouthfeel is also personal, it is far less so than olfaction. “At the tactile and gustatory level (with the exception of bitter), the difference in perception threshold between two people is at most a factor of five to ten,” adds Lépousez, “whereas it’s a factor of 10,000 for the sense of smell.” Awareness of that alone ought to simplify the process for the burgeoning wine taster.
From gourmets to geosensors
The origins of geosensory tasting lie in the guild of gourmets, active for centuries in Burgundy. These specialists controlled the wine trade as far back as the 12th century, their main role to ensure that the wine sold was indeed what was indicated on the barrel. They tasted the wine using a tastevin, a special cup that permitted the analysis of neither the wine’s color nor its aroma. Gourmets therefore relied mainly on the feel of the
For centuries the essential tool of the gourmets, the tastevin is still used in Burgundian cellars today, here (opposite) at Confuron and (left) Sérafin.
96 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025
All photography by Jon Wyand
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