Sensory and compositional profiles of British Columbia Chardonnay and Pinot noir wines

Sensory and compositional analyses were used to profile (i) 1993 Chardonnay wines (n = 16), (ii) 1988-1993 Chardonnay wines (n = 25) and (iii) 1992-1993 Pinot noir wines (n = 14) from British Columbia (B.C.). All wines were analyzed for titratable acidity, pH, absorbance, phenol and alcohol content. In a series of three experiments, 10 judges evaluated colour, aroma and flavour attributes of all wines in duplicate. Principal component analysis of the sensory data for 1993 Chardonnay wines indicated a diversity of styles including wines which were both oaky and buttery to those which were intensely fruity. Wines with oaky character had greater complexity and deeper colour, while those with fruity character were sweeter and more perfumed. Discriminant analysis indicated that, in general, the 1992-1993 vintages were more fruity than the 1988-1991 vintages which were more yellow and had higher oak and diacetyl characters. Discriminant analysis also showed specific winery ''styles''. While some wineries produced fruity, floral wines and others produced wines which were more yellow, oaky, buttery and astringent. Principal component analysis of the sensory data for the Pinot noir wines indicated four major styles of B.C. wines: those which were complex with high fruit and berry flavours, those which were intensely red, oaky, astringent and spicy, those which were herbaceous, and those which lacked fruit/berry character, astringency and body. Copyright (C) 1996 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd