PTRSCE016 - Evaluating Wines: The Flavor in Your Glass

Course Description

Want to justify all that wine you plan to consume this summer? Consider it homework for your CAU course. See, swirl & sniff, sip, spit & savor are the ’S' steps we follow in wine evaluations. Let’s add an overarching ’S’, for science.

Faculty Author

Kathleen Arnink is an experienced wine microbiology researcher and undergraduate educator. She teaches in the Viticulture and Enology Program in Cornell University's Department of Food Science, where she has developed courses for the new viticulture and enology major. She also coordinates internship opportunities in the wine industry and works to provide research experiences for students. Kathleen previously worked as a research associate in wine microbiology with Dr. Thomas Henick-Kling at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. Her research specialty was the microbial ecology of yeasts and bacteria found in wine. Through her work at the Station, Kathleen acquired practical winemaking experience, both with small research lots and through collaborative studies with commercial wineries in New York. In addition, she gained extensive exposure to both commercial winemakers and the unique winemaking issues of the Finger Lakes region, and she completed research toward her PhD. Kathleen has also developed and taught courses in evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, and enology at Wells College in Aurora, New York.

Benefits to the Learner

In this course, we will learn about the wine evaluation process.

We’ll cover the important wine flavors that wine tasters perceive.

You'll learn about how these flavors develop in grapes and wines and how the winemaking process impacts the experience of wine consumers.

Zoom activities will give you a chance to experience these flavors and discuss how wine flavors interact with other food flavors.

Students will receive a list of supplies (like strong coffee, lemon juice, etc.) and three wines to purchase.