Photo: Carolyn Ross is framed by the pass-through where researchers hand wine, crackers and score sheets to volunteer tasters. Light in the tasting room is pink to disguise the color of the wine so it doesn’t influence the tasters. (Photo by Shelly Hanks, WSU Photo Services).
Carolyn Ross is looking for Pullman faculty, staff and students over age 21 who would like to sample red wines and evaluate their puckering power.
“We’re seeking volunteers for our panels to assess these wines, including their appearance, aroma, flavor and astringency (which is characterized by the puckering feeling in the mouth after tasting),” explained Ross, an assistant professor of food science.
“For the selected panelists, we provide eight hours of group training in the evaluation of the sensory attributes of the wine, and then we put each panelist in an individual booth to sample and rate wines.”
The first in a series of three panel trainings is expected to begin during the week of March 19. Ross invites anyone interested in applying to join the panel to contact her (cfross@wsu.edu).
Ross joined the faculty in September 2004, hired to teach about the sensory evaluation of food and wine. She quickly applied for, and received from the Washington Wine Commission, funding for research using panels of wine tasters. Her first research project, evaluating several Washington syrahs, began in February 2005.
“That panel was really a test drive of our new computerized system of entering and evaluating the research data,” Ross explained.
Following the success of the first panel, she again applied — successfully — to the wine commission for her research into astringency. The first step was a chemical analysis of 240 red wines from Washington vintners. The second step, completed in June 2006, was research about peoples’ perception of astringency in wine.
With further funding from the commission, Ross is beginning another series of panel evaluations, hoping to understand what consumers want in red wines.
In addition to the direct benefits to industry, Ross pointed to the impact on her students. Two of her graduate students are coordinating both the chemical analysis and the sensory consumer evaluations. Besides being paid for their work, those students gain the practical experience of working with industry representatives as well as the panelists.
For Ross, the grant has opened doors to other funding sources and has provided her with a chance to present at national conferences.
“I expect more presentations and publications in the future, because what we are doing is new and people are interested in it. This is a great project, with good results and leverage for further research.”
This article is part of an occasional series on small grants and their impact at WSU. If you know of a newsworthy or creative program grant, please contact WSU Today writer Bill London at london@wsu.edu
