Understanding the meaning and structure of tannin descriptors employed by wine experts

Understanding how wine experts conceptualise and verbalise tannins is essential for improving the clarity, precision, and communicability of sensory vocabulary. Although tannin descriptors are extensively used in professional, pedagogical, and technical contexts, many remain ill-defined, inconsistently applied, and semantically overlapping, creating difficulties for both scientific interpretation and communication with consumers. This study aimed to (1) identify the terms employed by winemakers to characterise red wine tannins, (2) analyse the perceptual and conceptual dimensions underlying these terms, and (3) model their internal organisation through a semantic network. A two-stage design was implemented. Free descriptions from wine professionals generated an initial lexicon, which was subsequently examined through in-depth interviews (n = 29). Definitions, perceived valence, and conceptual associations were analysed via thematic coding and structured into seven dimensions: Texture, Integration, Intensity, Maturity, Physiological reaction, Hedonic evaluation, and Origin. A graph-theory–based semantic network was constructed from an adjacency matrix reflecting intra- and inter-dimensional proximities. Fifty-five descriptors were retained. Citation frequency revealed a restricted shared lexical core (six terms cited by > 80 % of participants) and a broad, variable semantic periphery. Network topology identified Texture, Intensity, and Maturity as central organising axes, with remaining dimensions acting as modulatory domains. This research provides the first structured semantic framework for expert tannin vocabulary. It offers consensus definitions and a multidimensional model that could serve as a tool to improve sensory education, enhance communication, and support future standardisation efforts within the wine sector.