Our tongue is important to our sense of taste, but it can only recognise four different sensations:

 

Because each part of the tongue is responsible for a designated taste sensation, wine must be swished around in the mouth for it to reach all areas.

In addition to taste, the role of our sense of smell is just as important. Have you ever tried desperately to detect flavour from food or a beverage when you had a terrible cold? You probably tasted very little, if anything at all. There are aroma receptors located in the back of the mouth, the throat, as well as the nose, and these transmit the information to the brain.