We recently stayed up at Lake Tahoe, and we were enjoying a Pinot Noir with dinner. Out of the blue, my son asks, “Do wines taste different at altitude?”
Well, I was speechless. To my knowledge, nobody has ever studied this. I would assume that any differences would be negligible, but conceivably, changes in atmospheric pressure could have different effects on different aromatic compounds.
So, realizing that this is a fairly frivolous and low-yield topic, anyone have any thoughts or experiences?
Interesting question. I have no clue, but it makes me think:
- Altitude probably has a noticeable affect in the vineyard
- wonder if atmos pressure affects aging/cork at all over decades
- Would have to think that the altitude’s affect on wine may be more in breathing/decant time due to different O2 levels
- Maybe there is some physiological impact on humans in terms of our sensory acuity for smelling and tasting at diff altitudes
Best way is to test it with two identical bottles. Drink one in the basin of the Dead Sea and one atop Mt Everest then get back to us. 
Yes, the trapped CO2 degasses.
the alcohol sure hits you harder at high alt.
More nose picking. Unless you hail from some hot, dry place.
Wasn’t there some post about this as it relates to wine on airplanes?
Kids these days. Never letting us drink in peace.
There are those who believe that the taste of wine is influenced by the barometric pressure. If so, altitude would also affect it.
Airlines study it. I’ve read articles that state that the directors of their wine programs take this into account when selecting the wines that they will serve.
For instance…
Cathay Pacific only selects “wines that fly”; Clara Yip, Cathay Pacific’s catering manager, states “the good characteristics for flying wines are a big fruit flavour, mild tannins and a balanced acidity.”
http://www.luxurytravelmag.com.au/articles/2015/jan/29/wine-altitude
This conversation is reminding me of Groundhog Day.
“I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude. That’s where I see myself in five years.”
All I can add is anything taste better sitting beside Lake Tahoe. I am fortunate to live in Reno and dine there every chance I get.
I don’t think so based on limited experience but the alcohol sure hits you faster and harder.
the correct answer is…‘shut up, kid!’
As far as I know from a class I took in college many years ago, the lack of air pressure and lower humidity makes sweet foods taste less sweet, but meat tastes meatier. So I would think that might apply the same way to wine? The sweet components of the wine might be de-emphasized while the savory notes are strengthened.
Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart, as I have vacation home at Tahoe where I keep about half my cellar (great place for passive storage especially over the short to medium term; longer term stuff is in professional hands).
Do bear in mind that lakeside elevation at Tahoe is “only” around 6200 feet, which is high but not that high. (Compare that to, for example, Aspen at 7900 feet, Telluride at 8750 feet, or Breckenridge at 9600 (!) feet, not to mention your average jet aircraft cabin which is pressurized to 6500 - 8000 feet.) Personally, I haven’t noticed any deterioration in my tasting abilities (modest though they be) in Tahoe, but I make a point of keeping my home relatively well humidified when I’m there.
In my experience the (lack of) humidity is a key factor. From what I understand (not being a medical doctor), aridity dries out nasal mucus which is critical to olfactory perception. This is one key reason why delicate wines never show well in the extremely arid environment of a jet airplane cabin at cruising altitude (around 7% humidity).
The claim about faster intoxication at altitude has pretty much been debunked, by the way. Apparently what’s really going on is that mild altitude sickness can produce a general malaise/fatigue that can reduce peformance and alertness, and exacerbate a hangover. Plus the drier air makes it harder to stay hydrated, and lack of hydration can really bring on a hangover. But if you acclimate to altitude and stay hyrdated, there’s really no discrete effect of alcohol at higher altitude.
Interesting. But that study was at 3500m, or around 11,500 feet. That’s a far more hypoxic environment than Lake Tahoe!
I remember reading somewhere that Michael Broadbent used to do the British Airlines wine menu tastings in the air as he believed this affected the taste considerably.
Recently, a doctor on a United flight pointed out that they were serving the wrong wines for the altitude they were flying. It didn’t end well.
I was thinking…go Google it, write a paper on your findings and bring it back to me. That kid will never again ask such a wine question of you.