Study indicates proline amino acid influences wine flavor and mouthfeel

Researchers at the Australian Wine Research Institute examined how the amino acid proline affects sensory perceptions of wine taste and texture, Vinetur reported. The study evaluated whether the naturally occurring compound alters perceived sweetness, viscosity, fruit intensity, bitterness, and astringency in wine, expanding beyond traditional taste factors like sugar, alcohol, acids, and tannins. [1]

According to Vinetur, the investigators performed chemical analyses on 918 commercial wines, most of which originated in Australia. The researchers then paired those laboratory measurements with sensory testing to evaluate the detection threshold of tasters when proline was present in various wine settings. [1]

The study, published in the journal OENO One, showed that 28 percent of sensory tasters detected proline at the concentration levels found in some of the analyzed bottles, Vinetur reported. [1]

The findings suggest that proline plays a larger role in determining how wine feels in the mouth and tastes to consumers than winemakers previously assumed, according to Vinetur. [1]