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Neuroenology How the Brain Creates the Taste of Wine
Gordon M. Shepherd
Columbia University Press, 2017
ISBN: 9780231177009 |
Very much in the vein of Neurogastronomy, also authored by Gordon Shepherd, this book takes a straightforward look at how the brain creates flavor, but now exclusively focused on the multimodal experience of savoring a wine. It is as superficial as its predecessor, so neuroscientists might find it somewhat unsatisfying, but for a novice, there is enough here to enjoy. Indeed, a wine enthusiast will certainly appreciate learning about the fluid dynamics of wine tasting, how sensory systems create the taste of wine (and there is much more here than just the tongue by the way) and how central brain systems create the pleasure of wine tasting; and this book is dutifully divided into these sections. As a bonus, the reader will get a tutorial by a master wine maker on what to look for when tasting a wine. This derives from a private tasting the author had in Bordeaux (southwestern France) in the Château Petrus wine estate, so you get the tasting impressions of both a master and a scientist (here representing the novice). One thing I recommend though, is to first read Neurogastronomy to familiarize yourself with the concepts of ortho- and retronasal olfaction, as they both play such a central role in the wine savoring experience and this book makes ample use of these precepts.
