Chemical and sensory profiles of rosé wines from Australia

Abstract

The appeal of rosé wine is attributable to its sensory profiles and underlying chemical composition, which are determined by viticultural and oenological inputs. This study provided the first insight into the sensory attributes and volatile profiles of Australian rosé wines. An HS-SPME-GC-MS method and a recently developed HPLC-MS/MS method were used to quantify 51 volatile compounds, including 4 potent sulfur compounds, in 26 commercial rosé wines. Descriptive analysis on all wines was undertaken and the sensory results were correlated with quantitative chemical data to explore relationships between wine composition and sensory profiles. Based on odour activity values, esters were prominent aroma volatiles, and β-damascenone, 3-methylbutyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate and 3-MHA were deemed to be important, in accord with other studies. Wines were described with terms ranging from developed, spicy and savoury to fresh green, citrus, tropical fruit, floral and confectionery.

Keywords: 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol (PubChem CID: 521348); 3-Mercaptohexyl acetate (PubChem CID: 518810); 3-Methylbutyl acetate (PubChem CID: 31276); Aroma; Descriptive sensory analysis; Ethyl 2-methylbutanoate (PubChem CID: 24020); Ethyl 3-methylbutanoate (PubChem CID: 7945); Ethyl butanoate (PubChem CID: 7762); Ethyl decanoate (PubChem CID: 8048); Ethyl hexanoate (PubChem CID: 31265); Ethyl octanoate (PubChem CID: 7799); GC–MS; Principal component analysis; Quantitative analysis; Rosé wine; β-Damascenone (PubChem CID: 5366074).