Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Sensory characterisation and consumer perspectives of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wine typicity

Sensory characterisation and consumer perspectives of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wine typicity

Abstract

Aim: To identify the sensory attributes responsible for the typicity of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from three Australian Geographical Indications (GIs) and to explore consumer purchase behaviour and preference with regard to regional wines.

Methods and Results: Descriptive analysis (DA) was applied to identify the sensory profiles of vintage 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Coonawarra (n = 24), Margaret River (n = 10), Yarra Valley (n = 13), and Bordeaux (n = 5). A trained panel (3 males and 7 females) rated 45 aroma, flavour, and mouthfeel attributes, of which 19 were found to be significantly different among the wine samples. Results from canonical variate analysis demonstrated that Bordeaux wines had a more distinct sensory profile compared to the Australian regions; within the Australian regions, wines from Margaret River had a closer profile to those from Yarra Valley than Coonawarra. Of the wines that underwent DA, two from each region were chosen for a study involving consumers (n = 112) that were divided into two groups. One group was informed of the regions prior to tasting each sample and the other group had no information about region. Consumers were surveyed about their wine purchase behaviour, knowledge of wine typicity, preference for the wines, and sensory profile of each wine using rate-all-that-apply methodology.

Conclusions:

Bordeaux wines had a more distinct sensory profile compared to the Australian regions, and were associated with developed characters including ‘savoury’, ‘tobacco’, and ‘earthy’. Wines from Margaret River were deemed to possess a fruit-forward profile along with ‘floral’ characters. With a similar profile to Margaret River, Yarra Valley wines were also found to have a greater incidence of ‘red fruits’ and ‘cooked vegetables’ attributes. Coonawarra wines were characterised by ‘chocolate/vanilla’, ‘mint’, and ‘mallee leaf’ attributes and were rated low in ‘cooked vegetables’. When consumers were informed of the wine region of origin there was an apparent increase in their liking scores, with the effect seeming to be positively related to familiarity with the region. 

Significance and Impact of the Study: Well-established for “Old World” wine producers, typicity is a concept that incorporates aspects of cultivar and terroir of a wine, and acts as a wine quality indicator. Australia also has a range of terroirs contributing to the characters of regional wines, and knowing more about the drivers of distinctiveness can help harness terroir in the promotion of fine Australian wines at an international level. This extends to understanding wine consumers’ behaviours, and being able to attend to their expectations in an objective manner.

DOI:

Publication date: March 25, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type : Video

Authors

Lira Souza Gonzaga, Dimitra L. Capone, Susan E.P. Bastian and David W. Jeffery*

Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production, and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMB 1, Glen
Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia

Contact the author

Keywords

Descriptive analysis, hedonics, typicality, regionality, consumer preference

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Chitosan from sustainable source: antimicrobial activity against undesirable yeasts for production of low-sulphite wine

The addition of sulphur dioxide (SO2) is the method traditionally used for wine stabilisation, due to its broad spectrum of action against unwanted microorganisms and its ability to prevent oxidative phenomena.

Les paysages viticoles des régions Vale Dos Vinhedos et Monte Belo (Brésil), un lien avec l’Etrurie

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Terroir and vine water relation effects on grape ripening and wine quality of Syrah/R99

A Syrah/R99 vineyard in the Stellenbosch area was used. The vineyard is vertically trained and spaced 2.75 x 1.5 m in north-south orientated rows on terroir with Glenrosa soil and west-facing slope. Irrigation (to 100% field water capacity) treatments were applied at different development stages [all stages (including berry set stage); pea size; véraison; post-véraison]. Combined effects of water status and ripeness level were investigated. Preliminary results are presented.

The impact of sustainable management regimes on amino acid profiles in grape juice, grape skin flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids

One of the biggest challenges of agriculture today is maintaining food safety and food quality while providing ecosystem services such as biodiversity conservation, pest and disease control, ensuring water quality and supply, and climate regulation. Organic farming was shown to promote biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and is therefore seen as one possibility of environmentally friendly production. Consumers expect organically grown crops to be free from chemical pesticides and mineral fertilizers and often presume that the quality of organically grown crops is different or higher compared to conventionally grown crops. Integrated, organic, and biodynamic viticulture were compared in a replicated field trial in Geisenheim, Germany (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Riesling). Amino acid profiles in juice, grape skin flavonoids, and hydroxycinnamic acids were monitored over three consecutive seasons beginning 7 years after conversion to organic and biodynamic viticulture, respectively. In addition, parameters such as soil nutrient status, yield, vigor, canopy temperature, and water stress were monitored to draw conclusions on reasons for the observed changes. Results revealed that the different sustainable management regimes highly differed in their amino acid profiles in juice and also in their skin flavonol content, whereas differences in the flavanol and hydroxycinnamic acid content were less pronounced. It is very likely that differences in nutrient status and yield determined amino acid profiles in juice, although all three systems showed similar amounts of mineralized nitrogen in the soil. Canopy structure and temperature in the bunch zone did not differ among treatments and therefore cannot account for the observed differences in favonols. A different light exposure of the bunches in the respective systems due to differences in vigor together with differences in berry size and a different water status of the vines might rather be responsible for the increase in flavonol content under organic and biodynamic viticulture.

H-NMR metabolic profiling of wines from three cultivars, three soil types and two contrasting vintages

Differences in wine flavour proceed primarily from grape quality. Environmental factors determined by the climate, soil and training systems modify many grape and wine quality traits. Metabolic profiling based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectra has been proved to be useful to study multifactorial effects of the vine environment on intricate grape quality traits. The capacity of this method to discriminate the environmental effects on wine has to be demonstrated.