Chemical, sensory and consumer profiling of a selection of South African Chenin blanc wines produced from bush vines

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Twenty five commercial Chenin blanc wines produced solely from bush vine vineyards and including three vintages, three styles and five production areas, were sourced for this study. Descriptive sensory analysis (DSA) and chemical analyses including GC-FID (gas chromatography fitted with a flame ionisation detector) and FTMIR (Fourier transform mid-infrared) spectroscopy were employed to establish the sensory and chemical characteristics, whereas consumer tests were conducted to determine consumer perception and liking of bush vine Chenin blanc wines. DSA (a profiling technique) was also compared to the sorting task (a classification technique) with a description assignment to evaluate the sorting task's ability to profile wines.According to the results of DSA, the wines separated into two groups. One group associated with sensory attributes which can be considered indicative of the Fresh and Fruity Chenin blanc style. The other group associated with sensory attributes which can be considered indicative of the Rich and Ripe style of Chenin blanc. No separation between the wooded and unwooded Rich and Ripe styles was apparent.According to the results of the chemical analyses, the wines also separated into two groups. This separation seemed to be caused by vintage and the chemical changes associated with ageing as the wines from the youngest vintage (2010) was strongly associated with high levels of esters and malic acid. The older wines were situated farthest away from these attributes indicating low concentrations.When comparing the results from the sorting task and DSA, it could be seen that similar wine style groupings formed, indicating that DSA can also be regarded as an effective tool when categorising wines. The differences in the positioning of some of the wines and attributes on the DSA multivariate plots and the sorting task plots could be attributed to the difference in panels used. The sorting task was conducted using an expert panel with persons illustrating significant technical knowledge of Chenin blanc wines. Experience, exposure and technical knowledge tend to establish a common language amongst wine experts which could have caused the expert panel to perceive some wines differently when comparing the results of the latter panel to that of the trained panel. DSA was found to remain the most effective method for establishing a comprehensive sensory profile.Consumer analyses showed that regular white wine drinkers prefer the unwooded styles (Fresh and Fruity and Rich and Ripe unwooded) of Chenin blanc more than the wooded style. It was also found that consumers with a higher level of objective wine knowledge tend to associate the terms 'bush vine' and 'old bush vine' with the Rich and Ripe style of Chenin blanc, whereas consumers with a lower level of objective wine knowledge associated 'old bush vine' with the Fresh and Fruity style. Since all the wines used in the consumer analysis were produced from old bush vines, it is evident that consumer education on the impact of bush vine training system and vine age on wine quality is needed. Better understanding of these principles could lead to elevated product appraisals and consumer satisfaction.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University