Chemometric investigation of the volatile content of young South African wines

The content of major volatiles of 334 wines of six different cultivars (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and vintage 2005 was used to investigate the aroma content of young South African wines. Wines were sourced from six different regions and various producers. Thirty-nine volatile components partially responsible for the flavour of wine were quantified. In order to investigate possible correlation between volatile content and grape variety and/or geographical origin, analysis of variance, factor analysis (FA), principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used. Significant differences in the levels of certain volatiles were observed as a function of region and cultivar, with the latter factor proving to be more influential. A few volatile compounds were identified as potential predictors of the white wine cultivars. Prediction for red wine cultivars was poor, with the exception of Pinotage wines, for which three compounds (isoamyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol and ethyl octanoate) were identified as accurate predictors. The reasons for the importance of these three volatile compounds in distinguishing young Pinotage wines are discussed, and possible reasons for the unique levels in wines of this cultivar are highlighted.