Mouthfeel: touch, not taste

The standard

A described texture perception names the individual tactile properties and how they interact. It separates what the sense of touch reports from what nose and tongue contribute.

Criteria

• It names tactile properties: body, viscosity, astringency or warmth
• It keeps the sense of touch apart from smell and taste
• It describes a sensation, not its cause in the wine
• It stays with what is perceived, without judging it

Distinction

Mouthfeel ≠ taste: taste is reported by the tongue through sweetness, acidity and bitterness, mouthfeel by the sense of touch. Mouthfeel ≠ astringency: astringency is a single tactile sensation, mouthfeel takes in them all. A described texture perception keeps these levels apart.