Describing the Sensory Complexity of Italian Wines: Application of the Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) Method

The aim of this study was to characterise a large and heterogeneous Italian wine sample applying the Rate-All-That-Apply method (RATA) with semi-trained judges. Twelve judges evaluated 46 samples including white, red, rose and sparkling wines in two replicates. Judges were asked to select from a list of descriptors all the sensations that described the samples and to evaluate their intensity. Judges obtained high repeatability index scores. A good panel reliability was also highlighted in terms of the reproducibility of the whole sensory characterisation through a multi-factor analysis (MFA). MFA results also showed a good discriminatory ability of the panel with red wines described by bitterness, astringency, body, alcohol and specific olfactory stimuli such as red fruits, spicy and roasted, while white wines were salty, sour and characterised by citrus, tropical fruits and white flowers odours. The RATA method is a suitable and reliable methodology for the description of a wide variety of wine samples and a valuable alternative approach to conventional descriptive analysis to gather information about the sensory perception of a very complex product even when large panels of consumers are not available. Furthermore, the present results provide useful information for wine producers to characterise their products as well as for the optimisation of production disciplinaries, which currently are not exhaustive in the description and the discrimination among products.

Automated summary

The Rate-All-That-Apply method (RATA) with semi-trained judges was used to characterize a large and heterogeneous Italian wine sample. The judges showed high repeatability and good panel reliability. The multi-factor analysis revealed the discriminatory ability of the panel, with red wines described by bitterness, astringency, body, alcohol, and specific olfactory stimuli, while white wines were described by saltiness, sourness, and citrus, tropical fruits, and white flowers odors. The RATA method is a suitable and reliable alternative to gather information about the sensory perception of wines, even with limited availability of consumer panels.