Using Sensory and Instrumental Data to Interpret the Effect of Storage at Elevated Temperatures on Aroma of Chardonnay Wines

Abstract

The effect of elevated temperatures during storage on the aroma of commercial Chardonnay wines was monitored by sensory and instrumental methods. Aromas of wines stored at 40°C for 0, 15, 30 and 45 days were profiled by descriptive analysis by a trained panel. Heated storage decreased intensity of fruity and floral notes, while increasing attributes such as honey, butter/vanilla, oak, and rubber. Volatiles recovered by solvent extraction from the same wines were separated by gas chromatography (GC) and identified by GC‐mass spectrometry (MS). Principal component analysis of instrumental variables (PCAIV) was used to reduce the initial set of 67 quantified GC peaks. Six compounds, selected by PCAIV to yield the configuration closest to that of the principal component analysis of the sensory data, provided a highly significant fit with the sensory configuration, as shown by a permutation test. This solution was the statistically optimal one, but was not unique, as demonstrated by significant fits between the sensory and instrumental spaces upon use of other GC peaks, which were highly correlated with the original six variables.