New Revelations: Olive Oil Improves the Taste of Red Wine

Generations of chefs and sommeliers agree that olive oil and red wine go well together. And now a new study by researchers from the University of Bordeaux scientifically proves it.

ACS (American Chemical Society) published a report by French researchers that studies the interactions of lipids and tannins and their influence on the sensory perception of wine.

Tannins are a major group of phenolic compounds found in wine, extracted from grape skins, seeds and stems. They are responsible for the dry feeling in the mouth and the astringent taste after drinking red wine. They are bitter and tightening by nature, and in the study the researchers aim to better understand their effect on the stability of lipids, and in particular those found in various oils.

At the start of the research, the French researchers add grape tannin - catechin - to an emulsion made of olive oil, water and a phospholipid emulsifier, carefully monitoring the results with an optical and an electron microscope. Initial observations show that the presence of grape tannin contributes to the formation of larger oil droplets in the emulsion.

In the second phase of the study, the scientists recruit volunteers for a sensory analysis, using oils that are common in food. Participants are asked to take a spoonful of rapeseed oil, grape seed oil or olive oil each time, immediately before tasting the tannin solution, and then to share their impressions. The scientists find that the most positive effect on perception occurs with the combination of tannins and olive oil, which the subjects rate as "fruity" rather than "bitter". This leads to the conclusion that olive oil reduces the sensation of astringency.

“Our results highlight that dietary lipids are crucial molecular ‘agents’ that influence our sensory perception during wine consumption.” - write the authors of the study

The well-known journalist and wine writer Alice Feiring also commented on the results of the study.

“Some tannins are sweet. Some are very ripe. Some are coarse and sharp. But if there is tannin, there is texture. The beauty of olive oil is that it delivers the flavor of the food. After all, when olive oil is used in cooking, a beautiful wine is never far away, whether it is white, red, rosé or amber.”