(Wines&Vines) - The authors thank The Rhone Rangers for support in conducting the research. What makes a quality glass of wine? This question has no single or simple answer. Common conceptions of what comprises a “good wine” include nebulous terms such as “balanced” and often incorporate the appearance attributes of the wine (color and clarity) and its aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. 

Economic studies have sought to answer this question and include “wine finish” (the lingering taste and flavor after swallowing or expectorating wine)4 as a factor influencing wine quality.2,6 

Wine finish remains an understudied area of research, but it is closely related to the well-studied attributes of wine aroma and flavor. It is important to note that wine is composed of much more than just the volatile compounds themselves. These other wine components include sugars, acids, ethanol and tannin and are termed “wine matrix components.” 

Specifically, tannin and ethanol have been shown to contribute to the perception of aroma and flavor in red wine, impacting the volatility and intensity of certain aroma compounds.5,7,8,11

Thus, to investigate the role of wine finish on wine quality and impact of the wine matrix components on wine finish, a study was conducted using experienced wine consumers. These consumers evaluated a commercial Syrah adjusted to varying tannin and ethanol levels. The low ethanol treatment was 9% alcohol, and the high was 14% alcohol. Each treatment was also adjusted to a high and a low tannin concentration using grape extracted tannins to create a total of four wine matrix treatments falling within the concentrations typical of red wines.