“Shepherd argues “creating the flavors of wine engages more of the brain than any other human experience.” Math, music and puzzles intensely use some areas of your brain but do not require integrating as many areas of your brain as tasting wine.
Your brain builds its perception of taste through your eyes seeing the wine, fluid biodynamics in your mouth, flavor receptors on your tongue and movement of air through the throat and nose. Shepherd agrees with wine experts that smell is the most important component, then explains how smell coming into your nose is important, but retronasal smell — what you perceive when the odor goes the opposite direction as you breathe out through the nose when the wine is in your mouth — is even more important.” 🍁🍷