Sensory & Consumer Science

This module focuses on the use of people who describe their sensory perceptions and preferences when evaluating wines, beers, and spirits. Sensory analysis bridges the gap between the objective or subjective perception of a wine’s quality, on the one hand, and the wine’s chemical composition and other external quality characteristics—such as the image of a producer or region, the label design, or the price tag—on the other. In this way, students gain comprehensive knowledge of how the human senses function, how perception shapes preferences, and how consumer decisions are made and influenced. In addition to learning relevant sensory techniques and statistical methods, students must apply these in case studies and small projects at their own companies or partner companies.

Instructor: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Fischer

Language: English

Duration: 3 days of in-person instruction—spread across both in-person weeks of the first semester; individual preparation and follow-up time

Seminar location: Wine Campus Neustadt

Information and materials: Provided via the Olat learning platform. The location and schedule are also available online. Access is granted upon successful registration.

Assessment: Preparation and presentation of a case study during the in-person sessions. Work on the case study during the preparation period between the two in-person weeks of the semester.