NIR based sensometric approach for consumer preference evaluation

The interaction between cultivar and growing environment is the base of wine quality and typicality. In recent time the behaviour of different clones within the same cultivar became another fundamental factor influencing the enological result. In order to clarify cultivar/clone/environment relations, a trial was carried out in 2008 studying the performances of three clones of ‘Nebbiolo’, grown in different environments: south-east Piedmont (hilly and characterized by a loamy and alkaline soil) and north-east Piedmont (a plain area characterized by a sandy and acidic soil).

Must clarification is an important step occurring just after grape extraction in the elaboration of white wine, consisting in a solid-liquid separation. Traditionally, low must turbidity, around 50-150 NTU, is generally reached in white winemaking in order to prevent reductive aromas and facilitating alcoholic fermentation. Alternatively, a higher turbidity (300 NTU or above) can be sought for reasons such as a better expression of grapes identity (terroir), or for getting a must matrix that could supposedly lead to wines having greater ageing potential.

Not only vintner’s decisions in the vineyard, but also winemaker’s choices of technology approaches in the cellar play a significant role in the final wine style and quality. Whereas traditional technologies within chosen terroir are quite well explored and thus somehow predictable, there is no proper knowledge available on possible outcomes in case of implementing novel, alternative winemaking strategies. To reveal their effects on wine aroma compounds and sensory characteristics, two alternative strategies
(cryoextraction or addition of whole grape berries during last stages of fermentation) were compared to classical Vipava valley winemaking approach as normally used for an autochthonous variety Zelen. After separate vinification and bottling, all the experimental wines were subjected to semiquantitative metabolic profiling of volatile compounds (VOCs) by means of GC/MS and were then also sensorialy evaluated by pre-trained panel.

Crimson Seedless’ (Vitis vinifera L.) is a late-ripening, red seedless table grape cultivar with inadequate anthocyanin accumulation and less than ideal berry size issues

Aims: Establishing an image of fine wine through the Geographical Indication (GI) system is of interest to the Australian wine sector. Beyond provenance, the sensory experience of fine wine is often linked to consumption with appropriate foods. For this purpose, studies were undertaken to understand consumer perceptions of what