Sensory and Chemical Characterization of the Aroma of a White Wine Made with Devín Grapes

The aroma profile of a Slovak white wine made with Devín grapes was evaluated by 13 expert judges. The panel evaluated the orthonasal and retronasal aroma profiles, as well as the profile of residual wine aroma found in the empty glass after the consumption. For the majority of attributes, the orthonasal perception was the most intense, followed by retronasal, and finally by the residual odor. Varietal wine Devín possessed primarily a "Muscat" odor by nose, together with intense fruity, sweet, and herbaceous notes. Data were analyzed by generalized procrustes analysis. Two primary clusters separated orthonasal ratings from both retronasal and residual odor ratings. Similar results were obtained by analysis of variance. The relative proportion of "heavy" aroma notes, likely related to polar odorants, increased in retronasal and residual odor profiles. The gas chromatography-olfactometry profile revealed a great complexity and showed that the characteristic aroma of this variety seems to be a mixture of Muscat, Gewürztraminer, and Sauvignon-Blanc, being rich in linalool, cis-rose oxide, and 4-methyl-4-mercaptopentanone.