Some talk on the net today about the phenomenon of “supertasters”. Called such for their super tongues which are endowed with more taste buds at the front. I read about it first at vinography but it trails back to an article in the NY Sun. It seams that 20 to 25% of the population are supertasters. The Sun article is more about the fact that with the rise in new, citizen media (blogs, podcasts, etc) some “professional” wine critics are claiming the status of supertasters to discern themselves from us less genetically advanced folk.
Apparently, the extra tastebuds make you more sensitive to bitter tastes. I wouldn’t mind this trait in someone telling not to buy a case on the verge expiration but how does this help with good wines?
You can test yourself with this pdf here. I’ll let you know if i’m a chosen one once i’ve done the test.