Ep 15: Why Do Holidays Change the Flavour of Wine?

Why does the same wine taste magical on holiday but boring when you open it at home? Felicity and Lulie unpack the fascinating mix of physiology, psychology, and culture that shapes our experience of flavour. From the mechanics of taste buds and retronasal smell to the cultural lexicons we use to describe flavour, they reveal why context is as important as chemistry.

Drawing on cutting‑edge research in sensory science, food psychology, and wine training, the hosts explore everything from genetic taste differences and airline wine selection to the role of branding, price, and expectation. If you’ve ever wondered why that charming wine you bought on holiday disappoints in your kitchen (or why wine critics sometimes seem to be speaking a different language), this episode explains why.

1. Taste is only about 20% tongue and 80% aroma, thanks to retronasal smell.

2. Our brains struggle to name aromas because smell evolved before language.

3. Genetic differences mean some people can’t detect key wine aromas, like violets.

4. Chinese wine drinkers describe flavours with culturally familiar terms, not Western fruits.

5. Super tasters experience bitterness more intensely but aren’t automatically better at wine tasting.

6. Training doesn’t give you more taste buds; it tunes your brain to notice relevant aromas.

7. Experiments show the same wine tastes “better” if presented as expensive.

8. Airline wine service adapts to taste dulling at altitude with bold, balanced styles.

9. Branding, labelling, and even background music measurably alter taste perception.

10. Wine quality is real, but our experience of it is filtered through mood, culture, and expectation.

Developing a Chinese lexicon for wine: https://marketingscience.info/wine/trade-articles/developing-chinese-lexicon-wine/

Got a question for us? Email us at [email protected] and it might just become our next episode.

Meet Your Hosts:

Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.

Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor, speaker trainer and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.