Comparison of methods to develop an emotional lexicon of wine: Conventional vs rapid-method approach

The development of emotional lexicons can be seen as a time- and resource-consuming activity. Several rapid methods have been developed for time-restricted studies, but the suitability of these methodologies in the development of emotional lexicons compared to conventional ones has not been investigated.The aim of this study was to test the suitability of a rapid method, as it is the Sorting Task, for emotional lexicon development compared to a conventional procedure. For this purpose, two different approaches (conventional vs rapid-method) were tested to evaluate wines.222 consumers participated in the lexicon development procedure. A common phase of generation and filtering of the terms was carried out for the development of both lexicons. Then, two approaches were used, one applying the procedures proposed in the literature (conventional, herein as Lexicon I) and the other applying Sorting Task (rapid-method, herein as Lexicon II). To test both lexicons, consumer studies (n = 185) were conducted using a set of seven commercial wines.Both methods were helpful in discriminating emotional responses. Lexicon I reported a wine effect for 10 of the 13 emotional categories, while the Lexicon II discriminated the samples in all 15 categories. Although multifactorial analysis showed a high agreement between configurations (RV = 0.985), the emotional map of both lexicons did not follow the theoretical circumplex model of emotions. SADNESS and NOSTALGIA feelings were related to the second axis.In conclusion, both methods provided similar maps of wines, but Lexicon II was more efficient in terms of time and resources during the lexicon development.     

Optoelectronic sensor device for monitoring the maceration of red wine: Design issues and validation

Enologists usually rely on spectrophotometers to perform the chromatic characterization of red wines. This work reports an optoelectronic instrument based on absorbance measurements aiming not only at the assessment of the chromatic characteristics of finished red wines, but at the supervision of the gradual maceration of fermenting grape musts as well. Maceration is a chemical process that takes place during the early stages of the fermentation that finally results in red wine. It is through maceration that wine acquires its distinctive chromatic features. Key issues related to the selection of optoelectronic components, the system design and its final validation using diluted wine samples are thoroughly discussed. Resolution figures lie in the range of one thousandth of an absorbance unit. Maceration has been successfully monitored with the proposed instrument using grape must samples extracted during the first three days from two different fermentations.     

Classification of monovarietal Argentinean white wines by their elemental profile

The possibility of acquire a chemometric model to classify Argentinean white wines according to their provenance through elemental profile was assessed. A simple method for multielement determination in wines by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry along with chemometric pattern-recognition techniques is proposed. A total of 57 white wine samples of the main varieties from four winegrowing regions of Argentina: Mendoza, Rio Negro, San Juan, and Salta, were evaluated. The results of principal component analysis explained 95.95% of the variance data total. Linear discriminant analysis allowed correct discrimination according to the four geographical regions evaluated, using only five ultratrace elements (Ba, As, Pb, Mo, and Co). Discrimination rates higher than 96% for prediction and validation data sets were reached. The outcomes emphasize the skillfulness of ICPMS elemental determination in combination with chemometrics, for classification of white wine and show that could be a trustworthy technique to validate the geographical origin, authenticity and quality control of wines.     

Rural idylls and urban economies: the making of metropolitan wine regions

In our quest to understand wine industries and their location and development worldwide, much emphasis has been given to key environmental, cultural and economic factors. The concept of terroir is used widely to describe, delimit and promote favoured wine regions. In this, we see constructions of rurality that tend to render invisible important connections between wine regions and urban places. However, many if not most wine regions owe much to their urban neighbours. Cities are sources of labour, capital and customers. Indeed, many wine regions are, in effect, metropolitan wine regions that owe as much to their proximity to cities than they do to any putative environmental distinctiveness and advantages. Wineries in such places develop strategies to survive and prosper not by producing bottles of wine that are widely sold on global markets – and compete on the basis on price or global reputation – but rather because they develop strong and loyal local markets tied to urban economies and because they appeal to the rural idylls held by urban consumers. This paper explores the way urban places have been critical in the development of certain wine regions in New Zealand.     

Influence of oak origin and ageing conditions on wine spoilage by Brettanomyces yeasts

The use of oak wood is a common practice for the maturation of higher quality wines, but this practice also has been occasionally related with the spoilage of wines with ethylphenols produced by Brettanomyces/Dekkera yeasts. This work studied the presence of these yeasts and ethylphenol production in the same wine aged in different conditions: aerobic/anaerobic, sulfur dioxide additions, and oak origin of the casks used (American, French, Russian and Chinese), with the aim of characterizing factors affecting the development and production of volatile phenols by Brettanomyces. Results obtained indicated the spoilage risk exists when Brettanomyces cells are present, even at a low level, in wines subjected to ageing, both in the cask and the bottle. Brettanomyces presence (cfu/ml and strains) and ethylphenol production during ageing, is affected more by the ageing conditions (aerobic/anaerobic and sulfiting) than by the origin of the oak.     

Crossmodal correspondence between color,shapes, and wine odors

Crossmodal correspondence is of scientific and commercial interest in regard to the packaging of food and beverages. Research has shown that colors and shapes can be associated with certain aromas, but these interactions have been less extensively studied with authentic visual stimuli (i.e., packaging), or with complex food odors in a matrix. This study investigated odor-color-shape crossmodal interactions with complex odor stimuli (wine odors) and wine labels. The present research used projective mapping with 3D shapes and colors, along with a wine label matching study, to test whether chardonnay odors of different character (buttery, citrus, floral, smoky, and vegetable) were associated with certain colors and shapes. In the projective mapping experiment, most chardonnay odors were grouped similarly; however, the vegetable-forward wine was more associated with sharper shapes. In the label experiment, yellow labels tended to be better matched with all odors, except the vegetable-forward wine, which was matched equally to all colors. These findings indicate that, regardless of odor character, chardonnay is mostly associated with a yellow colored label. Interestingly, results also indicated that not all correspondences aligned with the most common color association of an odor character’s (i.e., vegetative was not strictly associated with green, nor smoky with brown, etc.). Significant correlations were found between stimuli liking and matching scores, speaking to the role of hedonics in correspondences. Overall, the present research demonstrates evidence for odor-color-shape correspondences in complex odors and realistic visual stimuli, but not as strongly as in controlled environments and simplistic stimuli.