What is special about wine?

Do you know?

Wine is a very special product, that is what we believe at Vicente Gandía winery.

Wine is a drink to celebrate, to enjoy, to spend time with our family and friends. It is a product that allows us to have an interesting conversation, a friendly chat, a few laughs on a hot summer night, at a romantic dinner, at a party with friends, and even at a business lunch…

According to Patrick E. McGovern (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Edward_McGovern) in his book “Uncorking the past”, the alcohol is an element that has been studied in all ages of humanity to improve people’s health. This man is known as the “Indiana Jones of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages” since he has dedicated his life to the anthropological study of alcoholic beverages. As this author says, wine provides the highest concentration of this simple organic compound (ethanol) available in nature.

According to McGovern, humans throughout history have been amazed by the effects of alcohol, whether ingested as a beverage or applied to the skin. The health benefits are obvious: alcohol relieves pain, stops infection, and appears to cure disease. Its psychological and social benefits are equally evident: alcohol alleviate the difficulties of daily life, lubricates social exchanges, and contributes to the joy of being alive.

Wine has been a source of inspiration for artists of all disciplines. The history of wine dates back many centuries. In addition, as an element that is part of gastronomy and therefore of culture, wine has aroused the interest of scholars and scientists from all walks of life. In fact, wine is the product of the food and beverage industry on which there is more scientific research related to the influence of cognitive-perceptual factors on both purchasing behaviour and the experience of its consumption.

There is research that analyzes the expectations that they generate in the consumer, for instance, the importance of the colour of the wine, the weight and shape of the bottle, the design and colour of the labels, the power of the brands, and even the container where this product is consumed. This is a set of studies encompassed in what Charles Spence, from the University of Oxford, calls “Wine Psychology” (https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/professor-charles-spence), where the perception of the product by consumers is determined by the different inputs that the brain has to deal with when it is consumed.

Closely related to the latter, and according to Gordon M. Shepherd (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_M._Shepherd), American neuroscientist specializing in neural circuits and the olfactory system, in his book Neuroenology he says: “The flavour is not in the wine, but the flavour is created by the consumer’s brain.” This author concludes that “the creation of the flavours of wine involves more to the brain than any other human experience”.

At Vicente Gandía wineries we think that wine is a very special product; we have dedicated more than 135 years to making the best wines. We want to contribute so that people around the world can enjoy life, spend pleasant moments and help to forget sad moments, improve social relationships, in short, to build a better world for everyone, but always with moderate consumption and responsible.