Chemical and Sensory Characterization of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines from the Chinese Loess Plateau Region

Abstract

In this study, the aroma profiles of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from a new grape growing region, Loess Plateau, China, were established by gas chromatography–olfactometry, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and sensory analysis. The sensory profiles of wines form five different young vineyards in the Loess Plateau region were obtained by descriptive analysis. Blackcurrant ( p < 0.01), pear and dried plum ( p < 0.05), mushroom, smoked and green pepper ( p < 0.1) had significant differences on the five vineyards. A total of 76 odor-active aroma compounds were identified in the wines, and 45 volatile compounds were selected as those having the greatest impact on the aroma components and these were quantitated by five different methods. In addition, the correlation model of the Loess Plateau region’s sensory characteristics and aroma compounds was established by partial least squares regression (PLSR) to determine the influence of various aroma active substances on aroma attributes.