THE USE OF MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS IN DETERMINING THE SENSORY QUALITY OF WHITE MONOVARIETAL WINES

A sensory study of monovarietal white wines (Chardonnay, Garnacha and Macabeo) from two Spanish regions (Aragón and Navarra) was carried out. Among the three varieties, Chardonnay wines made the best organoleptic impression. Linear correlation showed quality of taste and acidity were the attributes that correlated well with overall impression. Except for color, no attribute examined differed significantly by region. Factorial analysis, applied to the volatile components of Chardonnay, followed by stepwise regression, revealed that the quality of aroma was related to certain major and minor chemical sets. Scores for the quality of Chardonnay wines decreased under the influence of ethyl propanoate, l‐propanol, glycerine and 2,3 butanediol. Minor set, MN2, and major set, M1, were related to fruity and vegetable aromas. Those two chemical sets had a positive influence on the aromatic quality of Chardonnay wines.