SENSORY PROPERTIES IMPORTANT TO AUSTRALIAN FINE WINE CONSUMER SEGMENT PERCEPTION OF CHARDONNAY WINE COMPLEXITY AND PREFERENCE

Abstract

Wine complexity is considered a multidimensional yet equivocal sensory percept. This project uncovered sensory attributes Australian Chardonnay wine consumers associate with Chardonnay wine com-plexity and correlations between expert and consumer perceived wine complexity and preference. A wine consumer test examined 6 Australian Chardonnay wines of three complexity levels designated low (LC1&2), medium (MC1&2), and high (HC1&2) by an expert panel (n = 8) using a benchtop sensory task. Consumers (n = 81) rated their perceived liking using a 9-point hedonic scale; wine complexity with a 5-point scale anchored “low”, “low-medium”, “medium”, “medium-high”, and “high” and lastly, profiled the wines using Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA). Psychographic segmentation with the Fine Wine Instrument (FWI) generated three segments; Wine Enthusiasts (WE n=29), Aspirants (ASP n=40) and No- Frills (NF n=12). Overall consumers liked all wines, but LC2 and MC2 were less liked and regarded as significantly lower in complexity which might be explained by these wines presenting less attributes overall with only citrus and green/grassy/leafy aromas and flavours plus higher acidity and astringency. In contrast, the HC1 and HC2 wines were more liked and regarded as more complex, showing grape-derived attributes of stone fruit flavours and winemaking-derived and developed characters including nutty, honey, vanilla, toffee, butterscotch and caramel, higher viscosity and body. Strong correlations between WE, ASP and expert complexity ratings and WE liking and WE complexity ratings were observed. However, correlations between the liking and complexity ratings of wines by NF and ASP were not found. ASP significantly preferred and rated MC1 more complex with cheesy, yeasty, nutty, bread, woody and toasty attributes and persistence of aftertaste; WE liked HC2; whilst NF in addition to HC1 also liked LC2 possibly due to it having more citrus properties and less woody notes. Consumers perceived complexity agreed with the widely accepted notion that a complex wine is considered to have balanced, multilayered flavours plus gustatory and mouthfeel attributes. Consumers perceived wines showing multilayered characters as more complex and liked those more compared to wines dominated by oak or fruit characters. The reported sensory attributes contributing to perceived complexity and consumer preference of Australian Chardonnay, could assist wine makers to produce wine styles consumers like.