Jean-Éric PELET*
Associate Professor (HDR)
IAE Amiens School of Management
*Business Science Institute faculty member
The partnership between France and China, recently consolidated during President Xi Jinping's state visit to France, demonstrates the growing importance of international cooperation in higher education. Through this agreement, France is committed to developing training programs that integrate the cultural and economic specificities of each country, while promoting the exchange of knowledge and skills between students and teachers.
In a recent investigation we documented the necessity of such cooperation (Pelet, Canziani and Terblanche, 2024). We investigated the challenges and potential solutions associated with conducting wine sensory evaluations online, particularly in cross-cultural educational settings. This study built upon earlier research by scholars such as Tempere, de Revel, and Sicard (2019) on the impact of learning and training on wine expertise, and by Prescott (2015) on multisensory processes in flavor perception.
The research highlighted critical limitations in online wine sensory evaluation, echoing concerns raised by Soeiro (2020) regarding the adaptation of wine education to non-traditional contexts. The lack of standardization in digital sensory training is a primary concern, as online platforms struggle to replicate the nuanced sensory experiences typical of in-person tastings, a point also noted by Velikova et al. (2015) in their work on the development of objective wine knowledge scales.
Another barrier identified was sensory isolation, where the absence of communal, in-person interactions diminishes the learning experience. This issue aligns with findings by Sigala (2013) on the impact of general public wine education on consumer perceptions, where the social environment plays a crucial role.
We employed a multifaceted methodology for this study, incorporating a Delphi study, expert interviews, and ethnographic analysis. The Delphi study involved iterative surveys with wine education experts to pinpoint challenges and potential solutions for online sensory evaluation. Expert interviews provided in-depth qualitative insights into these challenges.
The ethnographic analysis was focused on meeting with fruit producers and growers in Asia, particularly China, to investigate the disparity between globally recognized wine tasting descriptors and the local availability of fruits and aromas. This approach highlighted the regional scarcity in Asia of certain flavor profiles employed by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) to describe wine aromas and flavors: see market data table format in https://www.kmcms.net/Doc/Experiences/winesensory/wset-china.pdf).
The study concluded by emphasizing the need for ongoing research to refine online sensory evaluation methods, drawing on interdisciplinary studies from fields such as sensory science, education technology, and enology, as suggested by Tempere et al. (2019) and Rodrigues and Parr (2019). The study also highlighted the need for adapting wine tasting terminology to better reflect local contexts, suggesting that decolonizing the wine lexicon could enhance cross-cultural wine education and appreciation.
Additionally, we stress the importance of enhancing social interaction in online education, a suggestion that echoes the work of Shapin (2012) on the cultural history of wine tasting and its communal aspects. Building on this foundation, this project will continue to explore the potential of the metaverse in the context of wine, as highlighted in the following video, by examining how virtual environments can foster immersive and interactive experiences that enhance both educational and social dimensions of wine appreciation.
You can explore recent developments in wine and oenology education through our latest article in the International Journal of Wine Business Research.
References
Pelet, J.-E., Canziani, B. and Terblanche, N. (2024), "Adapting online wine education to China: a two-study multimethod approach", International Journal of Wine Business Research, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-12-2023-0082
Prescott, J. (2015), “Multisensory processes in flavour perception and their influence on food choice”, Current Opinion in Food Science, Vol. 3, pp. 47-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2015.02.007
Rodrigues, H. and Parr, W.V. (2019), “Contribution of cross-cultural studies to understanding wine appreciation: A review”, Food research international, Vol. 115, pp. 251-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.09.008
Shapin, S. (2012), “The Tastes of Wine: Towards a Cultural History”. N. Perullo (Ed.), Rivista di estetica,Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino, Italy, pp. 49-94.
Sigala, R. (2013). The impact of general public wine education courses on consumers perception. AAWE Working Paper, 132, pp. 1-19.
Soeiro, D.J. (2020), “Studying wine in non-wine-producing countries: How are Southeast Asian students coping with their learning?”, Kahl, C. (Ed.), Higher Education Challenges in South-East Asia, IGI Global, Hershey, PA, pp. 99-117.
Tempere, S., de Revel, G. and Sicard, G. (2019), “Impact of learning and training on wine expertise: A review”, Current Opinion in Food Science, Vol. 27, pp. 98-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2019.07.001
Velikova, N., Howell, R.D. and Dodd, T. (2015), "The development of an objective wine knowledge scale: The item response theory approach", International Journal of Wine Business Research, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 103-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-11-2014-0052
Wen, H. and Leung, X.Y. (2021), “Virtual wine tours and wine tasting: The influence of offline and online embodiment integration on wine purchase decisions”. Tourism Management, Vol. 83, Article 104250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104250