Based on requests from clients, there is a growing interest to understand what makes a micro wine region unique from a sensory perspective. The main reasons cited were Educating consumers and buyers on what they can expect from the region Directing the winemaking practices that are best suited to the potential of the grapes The […]
We’re very excited to announce that we have expanded into the essential oils industry. This stems from an informal partnership with the biotechnology experts at SciCorp Laboratories. Together with SciCorp Laboratories we are offering a highly specialized fingerprinting package that includes chemical and sensory profiling (trained panel and/or consumer panels depending on the requirement). For […]
Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises, or SMMEs, are important. In the USA, SMMEs create roughly 30% of nett new jobs and account for about 40% of economic activity. Only half of US small businesses make it through their first five years. In South Africa, the outlook is even worse: 70% of businesses fail within their […]
We have looked at consumer mega trend reports for 2020 and beyond that were published by Euromonitor, Mintel, and Synergy. Here are our key take-outs. Consumers are taking a more holistic approach to wellness. They are looking for products with specific functional benefits. They are buying to obtain a specific outcome (e.g. anxiety relief) as […]
Our collaborative article with Stellenbosch University on sensory benchmarking in the wine industry was published in the Jan/Feb edition of Wineland Magazine! Here is the link to the article. Sensory Benchmarking in the Wine Industry – When, Why, How UPDATE: Our second article was published in the March edition of Wineland magazine on page 77. […]
Sensory problem solving is our theme for 2020. Entering our third year of business, we’d like to review some of the problems that our clients have brought to our lab. Bottle variation in the wine industry We’ve encountered this problem several times. Buyers commented that our clients’ batches showed bottle variation. This is an excellent […]
During wine tasting, it’s easy enough to decide whether you like a wine or not. When it comes deciding whether the wine’s bouquet is reminiscent of gravel or puppy breath, a lot of folks would rather leave it up to the experts. While we certainly differ in our inherent ability to smell, the mechanisms behind […]
I had a very interesting conversation with one of my sensory panellists. She has been on my panel since I started my career as a sensory panel leader and serves on a number of sensory panels. A career sensory panellist, if you will. She told me that she could tell that the differences between the […]
Mouthfeel is paramount in the assessment of wine quality. It is one of the last aspects perceived during the wine tasting process and can mean the difference between a good wine and a great wine. Wine mouthfeel is mostly a tactile sensation. Mouthfeel is made up of several distinct factors: fullness, smoothness or roughness, particularity, […]
Dairy meets alcohol SenseLab started out in the alcoholic beverage market, so now that we are entrenching ourselves in the dairy industry, dairy innovations inspired by alcoholic drinks are especially exciting to us. Häagen-Dazs has recently launched a range of alcohol-flavoured ice creams infused with real alcohol (0.5% ABV). Flavours such as Bourbon, Rum, Amaretto, […]