Sensory satisfaction of tourists with local cheese and wine

The aim of this research is to perform a sensory evaluation of cheese and wine, and to determine the level of harmonization between them. 71 tourists took part in the panel. The pairing of cheese and wine as well as the individual sensory evaluation of the products was done with the help of scales that were developed by Harrington. The cheeses used in the panel were: young cow cheese, sesame-flavoured cow cheese, paprika-flavoured cow cheese, and fermented sheep cheese. The wines used in the experiment were: Italian Riesling, Muscat Hamburg, Red Muscadine, and a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Muscat Hamburg. After the sensory evaluation, statistical data processing was started. All sensory characteristics were expressed by means of a mean value. Variance analysis (ANOVA) and the Tukey Test (p <.01) were used to compare the mean values of samples in order to identify the differences in the sensory attributes of both individual products and the products during harmonization. The sensory evaluation of the cheeses indicates that the panellists assessed all characteristics differently except when it came to sweetness. The sensory evaluation of the wines concludes that the panellists perceived all evaluated characteristics differently. In terms of harmonization, a neutral and refreshing blend was achieved. Synergy was not achieved in any of the combinations. In terms of the cheeses that harmonized with the wines, the panellists perceived the sesame-flavoured cheese as the most appreciated in combination with all the wines. The wine that left the most positive effect in combination with the cheeses was red muscadine.