Sensory Evaluation of Impact of Wine Matrix on Red Wine Finish: A Preliminary Study

This study examined the effect of wine finish, the lingering flavor after ingestion or expectoration of wine on acceptance of red wine as evaluated by an expert sensory panel. Specifically, influence of the wine matrix components on acceptance of wine finish was determined using dealcoholized S yrah adjusted to two ethanol and tannin concentrations, with added flavor compounds. High ethanol concentrations resulted in a longer duration of finish for bell pepper, coconut and floral notes. For wines spiked with floral and bell pepper flavor compounds, this longer finish was more acceptable compared to their low ethanol counterparts. Increased tannin resulted in a longer duration of finish for bell pepper only while the acceptability was significantly decreased for high tannin treatments spiked with all three of the flavors as compared with their low tannin counterparts. This new knowledge in the understudied area of wine finish provides winemakers with information about the importance of finish on wine acceptance and the influence of the wine matrix on finish. Practical Applications Wine finish, an understudied yet critical component of wine quality, was evaluated in S yrah. Varying the ethanol content extended the finish of all three flavor compounds tested. For floral and bell pepper flavor, this longer finish was related to increased acceptance. The results of this study provide wine makers with important information to further understand how their processing steps to adjust tannin and ethanol may affect the finish and ultimately the perceived quality of their wines.