Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/877508
October 2017 WINES&VINES 79 WINE EAST WINEMAKING Alsace, Pfalz, the Rheingau and Washington state, and were asked to rank their typicity as described for FLX Rieslings above. The three wines from each region that received the highest average typicity ranking were selected for further study. Note that both the FLX and world panels showed quite a bit of disagreement in their typicity rankings, as shown by the fairly large standard deviations (see figure on page 76). In standard typicity ranking studies, a much larger group of samples and several non-typical wines would be used to achieve greater judge agreement. The modified typicity ranking used for selection purposes was expected to show lower agreement, which is why average rank- ings were used. Descriptions and perceptions How do consumers describe Rieslings? A 14-member panel of local consumers who drink white wine at least 1 to 3 times per week was assembled, and panelist acuity was assessed in a screening that required them to differentiate Rieslings and Chardonnays from the same FLX producer. The panelists were then given the 16 wines from the typicity test and were asked to develop a consensus attribute list including sen- sory reference standards (below). Over two more sessions, panelists again were given the wines to taste blind and were asked to indicate the orthonasal (sniffing) or retronasal (aromas during exhale) presence of their defined attri- butes on a checklist. To visualize consumer perception of regional wine typicity, sensory scores from all wines within a region were averaged by sensory at- tribute (see page 77). While there were general similarities among regions for some attributes, like the floral "linalool" attribute in orthonasal olfaction, considerable variation was found among wines, with green apple most typical for Rheingau Rieslings and peach, caramel and tropical notes more indicative of Riesling from Pfalz. Interestingly, while attributes classed under "berry" were found in both, the "rasp- berry" was noted more for orthonasal olfaction and "strawberry" for retronasal olfaction. Simi- larly, for the tropical fruits, "mango" was more noticeable during orthonasal olfaction. Attributes consumers associated with Finger Lakes Rieslings were of particular interest, so the four benchmark 2009 FLX Rieslings—Ravines Dry Riesling, Red Newt Cellars Sawmill Creek Vineyards Riesling, Heron Hill Dry Riesling and Sheldrake Point Dry Riesling—also were graphed separately to show individual differences. While there was expected variation between orthonasal and retronasal descriptors, many of the panelists noted raspberry along with lime and grapefruit zest on the nose, followed by linalool and petrol on the palate (see page 78). The question then became whether individual differences among benchmarked regional wines are greater than the differences between wines in regional groupings. In other words, if asked to group wines, would tasters differentiate FLX Ries- lings from those produced in other regions? How do consumers and producers perceive Rieslings? After completing the descriptive exer- cise, panelists were presented with 17 wines (16 samples plus one in replicate, Washington state's Kung Fu Girl Riesling) for a projective mapping, or "napping," exercise. Panelists were instructed to take a large sheet of paper (or nappe, the French word for tablecloth) and place similar samples closer together and dissimilar samples further apart. They were encouraged to make as many groups of wines as they wished, and could use any criteria to sort the wines into groups. In a separate session, the panel of FLX industry members who participated in the original typicity ranking exer- cise also were asked to complete the napping test under the same conditions. The results Following analysis and hierarchical clustering, researchers found that consumers had arranged the wine into four groups, placing all three wines ATTRIBUTES AND SENSORY REFERENCE FORMULAS FOR RIESLING SENSORY LEXICON DEVELOPED BY A CONSUMER SENSORY PANEL, N=14. Attribute Formula* Melon Macerated fresh cantaloupe Peach Goya brand peach nectar Strawberry Strawberries soaked for 8 hr and removed Mango Goya brand mango nectar Raspberry Raspberries soaked for 8 hr and removed Lychee Juice from canned lychee Linalool 2 drops linalool Petrol 64µL TDN Black Pepper 30 crushed + 60 cracked black peppercorns Almond 22 drops almond extract Honey 140g honey Green Bean Juice from canned green beans Green Apple Fresh cut Granny Smith apples a Lime Zest Fresh lime zest a Grapefruit Zest Fresh grapefruit zest a Pineapple Fresh cut pineapple a Mushroom Fresh cut white button mushrooms a Brown Sugar Light brown sugar a Pine Needles Fresh cut pine needles a *All standards were made with 750mL of Almaden Golden Rhine bulk wine unless otherwise indicated. a Not in wine.