Wine and umami

I thought you might be interested in the results of a discussion I had the other day with Heston Blumenthal, chef-prop of The Fat Duck at Bray, one of Britain's most talented, innovative and gustatorily curious culinary talents. (He's entirely self-taught yet has won acclaim from Michelin, launched Science Week with a lecture at Oxford University recently and loves wine.)

We discussed umami, the savoury taste associated with monosodium glutamate, soy, etc, and its relationship to wine. Some, particularly my talented fellow Master of Wine Tim Hanni of Napa Valley, maintain that, along with sweetness, acidity, bitterness and to...