Women are the best sommeliers. Here are the scientific studies

We often find ourselves comparing our wine-tasting experiences with others, noticing perceptual differences and, therefore, varying experiential outcomes. The first explanation we might think of to justify these differences could be hypothetical variations in learning or habits, which make the subjective experience highly variable. On the other hand, Gordon Shepherd, Professor of Neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine, in one of his works dedicated to Neurogastronomy (2012), demonstrates how humans have a highly developed and strongly differentiated sense of taste, due to the complex processing that takes place in their brains and, consequently, the different learning opportunities they encounter. Family, social, and cultural habits influence the ability to perceive and discriminate flavours. But are these differences merely the result of experiences and habits, or are there also psychophysiological and neurological factors that distinguish us?

Genetics and taste buds

In reality, there is a profound intersubjective difference determined by genetic factors and the number of taste buds on the tongue. One of the main taste variations related to genetics is, in fact, the presence of more than 25 types of receptors for perceiving bitter flavours and sending "alarm" signals to the brain. Based on this genetically determined ability, three main categories of people can be distinguished: super-tasters, who are particularly sensitive to flavours and perceive sweetness much sweeter than others; average tasters, who tend to prefer sweet flavours to bitter ones and perceive aspartame with a bitter aftertaste. They are the ones who prefer Coca-Cola Zero over Diet Coke; and non-tasters, who have a lower sensitivity to flavours and represent about 25% of the population.

Photo Rivera wines - Castel del Monte

Women are more predisposed

Super-tasters have a higher density of fungiform papillae on the front surface of the tongue and perceive bitterness as more intense, sweetness as sweeter, and spiciness as spicier. Individuals with 10 taste buds per square centimetre enjoy black coffee without sugar more, while those with 100 taste buds per cm² prefer cappuccino and green tea. How can you recognise them? It’s easy to identify them through their different reaction to a preparation that seems particularly bitter to super-tasters. It’s called propylthiouracil, or "Prop," which is related to the perception of bitterness. Several studies have shown that Prop 'non-tasters' have a lower ability to recognise and perceive fats in foods, showing higher acceptability towards these foods. This difference is also linked to gender, as women are somewhat more likely to be super-tasters (34%) than men (23%), explaining women’s greater ability (on average) to perceive flavours more intensely.

By Vincenzo Russo
Coordinator of the Neuromarketing Behavior and Brain Lab Research Centre, IULM