Wine Descriptive Sensory Profiling

Descriptive methods are an essential part of sensory testing protocols. Out of the selection and training of sensory assessors, testing environment and data analyses have also a significant impact on the obtained results. From a methodological point of view, the selection of an appropriate list of sensory terms might be challenging for researchers. This chapter focuses on the key steps in selecting, training, and maintaining a wine sensory panel as well as gives an overview of the most critical influencing factors (e.g., noise, perfumes, colors, lighting, ventilation, etc.), and provides tips on how to avoid them/decrease their effects. A detailed step-by-step guide will help the reader to conduct successful descriptive analyses. A short guidance is also provided on the most important data analysis steps from analysis of variance (ANOVA) to multivariate analysis methods, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). At the end of the chapter, a list of selected papers is presented as examples and inspiration for future researchers.