Grape and wine sensory attributes correlate with pattern-based discrimination of Cabernet Sauvignon wines by a peptidic sensor array

A major factor that contributes to the characteristic taste of red wine is its composition of a class of polyphenols known as tannins. Extended ripening times of grapes are known to influence the sugar and acid content of the fruit, but their effect on tannin composition is less understood. In this study, we demonstrate that a differential, cross reactive peptide-based sensing array can discriminate Cabernet Sauvignon wines made from grapes that were harvested at different stages of maturation. Linear discriminant analysis shows a clear discrimination of the wines based on their tannin content, which is in strong correlation with the harvest time. A partial least square regression model using the mouth-feel and taste descriptive sensory attributes of wine revealed a strong correlation of the sensing array to perceived astringency and bitterness, which is also well known to correlate with tannin concentration.