Aromatic characterization of brazilian sparkling wines using olfactometry and a sensory panel

Brazilian sparkling wines, which currently account for 30% of the national production of fine wines, have been traditionally produced in the southern region since the 1910s. The objective of the present study was to establish sparkling wine typicality via aroma characterization by comparing quantitative and descriptive techniques for the main aromatic compounds. Sparkling wines from the major producing regions of Brazil were tested by two sensory panels, followed by gas chromatography analysis that allowed elucidation of their aromatic basis. Solid-phase microextraction was used for the extraction of the compounds, followed by detection using gas chromatography (GC), olfactometry and mass spectrometry (MS). Olfactometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) identified 25 aromatic areas and 26 aromatic compounds, respectively. Fruity and floral aromas were highlighted by olfactometry. Most often, Brazilian and Italian sensory analysis panels cited pineapple and roasted or apple and fruit individual descriptors, respectively