Tasting a product with Protected Designation of Origin status is a specific process: one does not merely judge its immediate pleasure, but assesses whether the product lives up to its identity.

Tasting is about verifying a promise

An PDO product carries a promise: that it comes from a defined terroir, with varieties and expertise set out in a specification.

Tasting is the moment when this promise is fulfilled in the glass or on the plate.

This is when we assess its typical characteristics: does the product truly express the qualities expected of its appellation?

A scientific and official practice

The sensory analysis of PDO products is not merely a matter of style: the various designations (Comté, cheeses, olive oils) are based on regulatory scoring grids, panels of trained tasters and validated reference profiles.

Tasting is a quality control tool in the same way as laboratory analyses, and sometimes even more so: humans remain the only ones capable of detecting certain defects. Within the framework of PDO, it also serves to assess typical characteristics: does the product being tasted accurately match the sensory and organoleptic expectations of the designation?

The link between terroir and flavour

Research shows that a product’s flavour profile varies according to its geographical area: climate, soil, farming practices and expertise all leave a measurable sensory signature.

This is the scientific basis for the PDO typicity and the strongest argument against the standardisation of products.