Influence of Geographic Origin on the Sensory Characteristics and Wine Composition of Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon Wines from Australia

Abstract

The current study explores the relationship between sensory characteristics and wine composition of Cabernet Sauvignon wines in relation to Australian geographical indications (GIs). Descriptive sensory analysis was conducted to characterize the sensory attributes of commercially produced Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Frankland River, Langhorne Creek, Mount Barker, Margaret River, McLaren Vale, Padthaway, and Wrattonbully GIs. Canonical variate analysis using the significant sensory attributes demonstrated that each GI could be distinguished from the others. A recently developed analytical method was used to analyze over 350 volatile compounds in the wines assessed, and measures of the major nonvolatile components were also determined. Compositional results were analyzed using partial least squares discriminant analysis to identify candidate components that were unique to certain GIs, including 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, menthone, isomenthone, carvacrol, δ-octalactone, <i>p</i>-methylacetophenone, <i>m</i>-dimethoxybenzene, protein-precipitable tannin, and monomeric anthocyanins. Results demonstrate that Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines have common sensory attributes related to geographic origin. The work also identifies a number of candidate components that are related to individual GIs which warrant further investigation. The study is the first to explore the concept of regionality in Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Australia.