Instrumental and sensory analysis of Greek wines; implementation of principal component analysis (PCA) for classification according to geographical origin

Wine is one of the most important products of Greece and other Mediterranea n countries. Adulteration of wines, either in terms of geographical origin or variety, has been a major topic of debate and extensive research. Variou s instrumental methods (gas chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatogr aphy) and sensory analysis, in conjunction with statistical analysis, were developed and applied in an attempt to provide reliable answers to this iss ue. This research aimed at classifying 33 greek wines from various regions by employing both instrumental and sensory analysis. Application of princip al component analysis (PCA) to our experimental data resulted in satisfacto ry classifications of only Greek red wines in terms of their geographical o rigin. creek wines were effectively distinguished in two or three groups (d epending on PCA figure); wines from Aegean/Ionean islands. North Greece and South Greece. However. further work with greater numbers of samples is req uired in order to draw more valid conclusions and to obtain a detailed map of greek wines according to their geographical origin and variety. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.