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80 WINES&VINES October 2017 WINEMAKING WINE EAST from the Pfalz, one from the Rhein- gau and one from Washington into one group major group, and the rest into a second (see right). The second group was further divided into three subgroups, with three of the Finger Lakes Rieslings placed with two wines from Washington state and two from the Rheingau. The fourth FLX Riesling was grouped with Hugel from the Alsace, and the other two Alsatian wines were grouped with the Kung Fu Girl replicate. This division of the replicates calls the acuity of the consumer panel into question, especially since the two were in groups that were not closely related. Compari- son of the groupings with the checklists suggest that Sheldrake Point and Hugel were differenti- ated by higher perception of petrol and black pepper in the nose, and lime zest and grapefruit zest in retronasal aroma. The other three FLX wines were not differentiated by specific aroma characteristics. In comparison, the industry panel divided the wines into two primary groups (see right). Group one was further divided into two subgroups, each containing wines from various regions. Three of the FLX Rieslings were grouped with two from the Pfalz, and the third was grouped with a mixture of wines from Alsace, the Rheingau and Washington state. The groupings from both panels suggest that the product space of these wines (i.e., their region of ori- gin) is not completely congruent with their sensory space, and that the sensory space is perceived differ- ently for consumers and producers. It is not surprising, then, that the FLX wines were not singled out as en- tirely distinctive, since no other re- gions were. One local industry member interpreted this result as an assurance that FLX wines don't have impaired quality, either. To him, the fact that they were grouped with other world-class wines implied that their quality is on par. A closer look at the different consumer and industry divisions suggests that the two groups are using different attributes to sort wines. Consumers grouped most of the FLX wines with wines from Washington state and the Rhein- gau, while industry members placed them primarily with the Pfalz. This may suggest that indus- try members have a more discrimi- nating means of categorizing the wines and a more uniform idea of FLX style, which is expected. It can be argued that the difference be- tween typical Rieslings from the Pfalz and the Rheingau are rela- tively subtle and may not be mean- ingful to the average American white wine consumer. In general, however, it seems that both consumers and winemak- ers find FLX Rieslings to be more similar to those from Germany than from Alsace, and that wine- makers further differentiate them from Washington state styles. A Riesling is a Riesling is…a Riesling? Through a novel multi-step process, researchers used the inherent ex- pertise of regional winemakers, world wine experts and trained consumers to begin to define the regional typicity of Finger Lakes Riesling, their relation to world Rieslings and consumers' percep- tion of the wines. While the lines of regional and sensory identity may not be straightforward, producers and consumers seem to agree on the general parameters of Finger Lakes Riesling typicity and have a robust set of sensory standards to facilitate further conversation. Lime zest and peach, anyone? Demetra Perry is laboratory manager for Cornell's Extension Enology Lab, and Dr. Anna Katharine Mansfield is associate professor of enology at Cornell Univer- sity's New York State Agricultural Experi- ment Station in Geneva, N.Y. This work was made possible by financial support from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, and extensive help from the International Riesling Founda- tion and the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. The New York Wine and Food Classic was invaluable in setting up and partici- pating in sensory evaluations. Dr. Diane Schmitt managed the local industry and consumer wine panels. Natural Corks Champagne Corks Twinline Corks Bartops VISION Synthetic Corks G-Cap® Screw Caps Sales Representatives: Chris & Liz Stamp info@lakewoodcork.com lakewoodcork.com 4024 State Route 14 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607-535-9252 607-535-6656 Fax PIONEER INNOVATOR PARTNER The references for this article are available online at winesandvines.com RIESLING GROUPINGS PRODUCED BY PROJECTIVE MAPPING BY INDUSTRY SENSORY PANEL Industry Panel Group 1 Group 2 Sub-Group 1a Sub-Group 1b Sub-Group 2a Sub-Group 2b Sub-Group 2c Schloss Johannisberg b Dr. Deinhard Sheldrake Point e Heron Hill e Pfaffenheim d Schloss Vollrads b Deidesheimer Ravines e Hugel a Kung Fu Girl (reps) c Maushohle a Red Newt e Leitz Eins Zwei Kuentz-Bas d Genesis c St. M Villa Wolf a Dry b A. Christmann a Poet's Leap c a Pfalz b Rheingau c Washington d Alsace e Finger Lakes RIESLING GROUPINGS PRODUCED BY PROJECTIVE MAPPING BY CONSUMER SENSORY PANEL Consumer Panel Group 1 Group 2 Sub-Group 2a Sub-Group 2b Sub-Group 2c Saint M Villa Wolf a Kung Fu Girl (Rep) c Sheldrake Point e Red Newt e A. Christmann a Kuentz-Bas d Hugel d Ravines e Dr. Deinhard Pfaffenheim (2009) d Heron Hill e Deidesheimer Genesis c Maushohle a Poet's Leap c Schloss Vollrads b Schloss Johannisberg b Kung Fu Girl c Leitz Eins Zwei Dry b a Pfalz b Rheingau c Washington d Alsace e Finger Lakes