Abstract
This study compared white wines from disease-resistant hybrid grape cultivars (DRHGCs) and Vitis vinifera L. cultivars in South Tyrol, Italy. Commercial wines from local wineries including conventional cultivars (‘Pinot blanc’, ‘Pinot gris’, ‘Chardonnay’, ‘Gewürztraminer’, ‘Kerner’, and white blends) and DRHGCs (‘Souvignier gris’, ‘Bronner’, ‘Johanniter’, ‘Solaris’, ‘Muscaris’, and white blends) were studied. Metabolomic methods (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, LC-MS, and two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, GC×GC-MS) were combined with sensory analysis by semi-trained panellists (modified rate-all-that-applies, mRATA, and projective mapping, Napping). The data were subsequently analysed using multiple factor analysis (MFA) and analysis of coinertia. Neither chemical nor sensory analysis could distinguish satisfactorily between DRHGC and V. vinifera wines on the basis of the MFA, suggesting that the two types of wine are not as distinctive as previously thought. However, some significant differences were noted between a small number of specific variables for DRHGC and V. vinifera wines, such as the sensory characters olfactory ‘honey’ and olfactory ‘pineapple’, as well as in the volatile compounds 1-hexanol and limonene. Several compounds that are suggested to have antimicrobial, antifungal, and/or antiviral properties in the literature were found at significantly higher levels in the studied DRHGC wines than in the studied V. vinifera wines and therefore might be relevant to the disease tolerance of these cultivars. The analysis of coinertia showed strong relationships between sensory and chemical properties. These results suggest that the primary barrier to commercial adoption of white DRHGCs for wine production may be consumer and producer unfamiliarity rather than wine quality or the presence of unfamiliar sensory properties.