Adding to the senses

It will be used by students undertaking the Bachelor of Viticulture and Winemaking.

The first intake of students for the degree was this year, and up until October when the sensory room was officially opened, students had to use less than optimum facilities for any course components that required sensory analysis.

Wine Tutor David Hayward says undertaking such course components in a classroom, or the Plant and Food sensory room at the Marlborough Research Centre wasn't ideal.

"In a classroom there is poor light and likely to be other smells that can affect sensory aspects," he said. "And the sensory room that Plant and Food have is very focused on research, so the tables are facing the wall. It is basically for testing and analysing."

With help from Lincoln University's Wendy Parr, renowned in wine circles for her sensory research, NMIT has developed the room from a former catering kitchen. It has provided a large space, with natural light and plenty of moveable tables and chairs. Perfect for a teaching environment Hayward says.

With a separate prep room, he says it is one of the best sensory rooms he has worked in.

"The idea is if you are conducting a blind tasting, you can prepare in there. Plus we do a lot of sensory trials for students where we add things to wine, or ask them to pick up certain sensory aspects within a wine, such as taints. Now we can prepare these away from the sensory room without flooding it with the smell of cork taint or Brettanomyces."