SENSORY AND ANALYTICAL ASSESSMENT OF SPARKLING WINES

Thesis (Ph.D.), Food Science, Washington State UniversitySparkling wine is a complex, alcoholic beverage in which carbonation provides its characteristic effervescence. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the role of certain processing decisions on final sparkling wine. In the first study, wines were made by adjusting the sugar concentration added to the liqueur de tirage to yield varying levels of carbonation (0–7.5 g CO2/L). A consumer study (n=48) used a paired comparison test to compare sparkling wines of different carbonation levels (1.2, 2.0, 4.0, 5.8, or 7.5 g CO2/L) to a control wine (0 g CO2/L). Results indicated at least 2.0 g CO2/L was needed for consumers to perceive the attributes of carbonation and “bite” (p≤0.001). A trained sensory panel evaluated these sparkling wines varying in carbonation using both static (Descriptive Analysis; DA) and dynamic (Temporal Check-All-That-Apply; TCATA) methodologies. Carbonation significantly influenced all mouthfeel attributes (p≤0.05). From the TCATA results, temporal curves separated attributes into early onset (proportion of citation peaked within 15 sec of evaluation) and delayed onset (proportion of citation peaked after 15 sec of evaluation). In the second set of studies, the dosage was adjusted at the finishing stages of sparkling wine production to vary residual sugar level (brut and demi sec) and sugar type (fructose, glucose, or sucrose). Trained sensory panel evaluations revealed residual sugar level*sugar type interaction significantly influenced the flavor and taste attributes of sparkling wines (p<0.05). Likewise, residual sugar level*sugar type significantly influenced carbonation and overall acceptance (p<0.05). Consumers rated sweeter wines as significantly more “refreshing” as compared to a control wine with no added sugar (p