Effect of Region on the Volatile Composition and Sensory Profiles of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

Regionality, frequently called terroir, is often used as a way to market wines from different locations. In this chapter we will discuss the chemical and sensory effects of regionality using thirty commercially made Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines as well as forty one research lots of Californian and Argentinean Malbec wines. In both studies the volatile profiles of the wines separated the regions from one another. The separations based solely on sensory descriptive analysis data was less clear cut for the Cabernet wines and more so for the Malbec wines. When the volatile chemical and sensory data were combined separating regions was possible for both sets of wines. These studies showed that for both very well controlled research fermentations and for less controlled commercial fermentations it is possible to determine sensory and chemical regional differences for wines.