In a new and first of its kind study, researchers study fermented beverages to find the one with the most umami flavor. Which one wins — champagne, beer, wine or sake?

It is often associated with the earthy flavours of meat, mushrooms, broths and vine-ripened tomatoes. It enhances saltiness and sweetness, while reducing bitterness, which is why most people love it.

But does umami exist in beverages? And if so, which fermented beverage has the most umami potential: wine, beer, sake or champagne? And, what happens to flavours when these beverages are paired with foods?

Three researchers from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food Science have published this first of a kind study in the journal Food Chemistry.

«We investigated the average umami flavour content in a range of wines, champagnes, beers and sakes. Our analyses demonstrate that it is in sake (Japanese rice wine), where umami reigns supreme on the umami scale, far ahead of beer, followed by champagne and finally wine. However, we studied slightly fewer beers than the other beverages, so that class of beverage may have been difficult to score precisely,» reports postdoctoral researcher Charlotte Vinther Schmidt, one of the study’s authors.

Higher potential when paired with food

Determining the umami flavour content of a drink involves finding out how much of an amino acid known as glutamic acid there is in it.

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Materials provided by University of Copenhagen — Faculty of Science. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.