NEUROENOLOGY - Book of the Month August 2026
"NEUROENOLOGY. How the Brain Creates the Taste of Wine" is written by Gordon M. Shepherd.
The author expands on the startling discovery that the brain creates the taste of wine. This approach to understanding wine's sensory experience draws on findings in neuroscience, biomechanics, human physiology, and traditional enology. Shepherd shows, just as he did in "Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters", that creating the taste of wine engages more of the brain than does any other human behavior. He clearly illustrates the scientific underpinnings of this process, along the way enhancing our enjoyment of wine.
Chapters:
Introduction: A new approach to Wine Tasting
Part I: Fluid Dynamics of Wine Tasting
Sip an saliva
The tongue: moving the wine
Respiration and wine aromas
The pathway for retronasal airflow
Swallow, aroma burst and finish
Part II: How sensory create the taste of Wine
Sight: creating the color of wine
Orthonasal smell: wine molecules meet smell receptors
Orthonasal smell: creating a wine aroma image
Orthonasal smell: from odor image of aroma perception
Touch and the mouthfeel of wine
Taste modalities and wine tasting
Creating taste perception
Retronasal smell: the hidden force in wine tasting
Retronasal smell: what is so special?
Retronasal smell: creating the multisensory wine flavor
Part III: How central brain systems create the pleasure of the taste of wine
Wine tasting, gender and aging
Memory and wine tasting
The language of wine tasting
Pleasure: the final judge in wine tasting
Practical applications of neuroenology to the pleasure of wine tasting
Appendix: a wine-tasting tutorial with Jean-Claude Berrouet
Reasons to read the book: "Neuroenology" is the first book on wine tasting by a neuroscientist. It begins with the movements of wine through the mouth and then consults recent research to explain the function of retronasal smell and its extraordinary power in creating wine taste.
Where to find the book: The book is published in English and can be found on the Books Express website where it arrives on order in 2-3 weeks.
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday & Winesday App
The author expands on the startling discovery that the brain creates the taste of wine. This approach to understanding wine's sensory experience draws on findings in neuroscience, biomechanics, human physiology, and traditional enology. Shepherd shows, just as he did in "Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters", that creating the taste of wine engages more of the brain than does any other human behavior. He clearly illustrates the scientific underpinnings of this process, along the way enhancing our enjoyment of wine.
Chapters:
Introduction: A new approach to Wine Tasting
Part I: Fluid Dynamics of Wine Tasting
Sip an saliva
The tongue: moving the wine
Respiration and wine aromas
The pathway for retronasal airflow
Swallow, aroma burst and finish
Part II: How sensory create the taste of Wine
Sight: creating the color of wine
Orthonasal smell: wine molecules meet smell receptors
Orthonasal smell: creating a wine aroma image
Orthonasal smell: from odor image of aroma perception
Touch and the mouthfeel of wine
Taste modalities and wine tasting
Creating taste perception
Retronasal smell: the hidden force in wine tasting
Retronasal smell: what is so special?
Retronasal smell: creating the multisensory wine flavor
Part III: How central brain systems create the pleasure of the taste of wine
Wine tasting, gender and aging
Memory and wine tasting
The language of wine tasting
Pleasure: the final judge in wine tasting
Practical applications of neuroenology to the pleasure of wine tasting
Appendix: a wine-tasting tutorial with Jean-Claude Berrouet
Reasons to read the book: "Neuroenology" is the first book on wine tasting by a neuroscientist. It begins with the movements of wine through the mouth and then consults recent research to explain the function of retronasal smell and its extraordinary power in creating wine taste.
Where to find the book: The book is published in English and can be found on the Books Express website where it arrives on order in 2-3 weeks.
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday & Winesday App