Since objective measures of appellations are needed for wine, California Vitis vinifera Var. Chardonnay wines (n = 48) were surveyed for several aroma compounds including esters, norisoprenoids, and terpenes. For the first time concentrations of volatile fragrances were directly correlated with descriptive analysis scores that statistical analysis of the sensory data showed were associated with regional uniqueness and distinctness. Sensory scores for 10 terms used by industry quality experts to describe wines from four regions were compared to the concentrations of over 30 wine chemical compounds. Frequency of use of individual grape-based aroma terms were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with linalool, 1,1,6-trimethyldihydronaphthalene, 3-methylbutyl acetate, ethyl 2-hydroxypropanoate, and 2-phenylethanol. Linalool concentrations were also correlated with α-terpineol. Also, 4-terpineol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool oxide (furan) were found in Chardonnay wines from all of the regions of California. Keywords: Aroma; Chardonnay; descriptive analysis; flavorants; norisoprenoids; sensory analysis; terpenoids; terroir; Vitis vinifera; wine

Many organisms reproduce in temporary aggregations where estimates of colony size can be made by direct counts. When individuals are not synchronous, however, early breeders depart before the last arrive, so counts underestimate the total breeding population. We present a model describing a colony's census as a function of arrival, breeding tenure, and the correlation between them, and we use it to illustrate how variance in arrival and tenure affect the census. Counts of breeding female northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) from 1975 to 2007 were used to test the model. Four of the model's parameters•population size, mean and variance of arrival date, and the correlation between arrival date and breeding tenure•could be estimated from census data using a Bayesian approach; prior estimates of two other parameters•mean tenure and its variance•had to be used to avoid overparameterization. The model's predictions fit observed censuses well and produced reliable estimates of population size and arrival behavior, showing that the maximum census was 8%•16% below the total number of breeding females. This method could be used for estimating abundance in any asynchronous aggregation, given independent information on one of the defining distributions: arrival, tenure, or departure. 834

Since producer based sensory analysis of wine appellations remains in widespread use worldwide by wineries, modern sensory methods were developed for industry judge panels. U.S. appellations were studied using modern sensory analysis processes which accommodated the industry professionals’ biases for perceived quality and provincial sensory language. A panel was assembled comprised of wine industry quality experts (n = 26). First, judge quality biases were determined using a multi‐wine preference‐testing method (n = 48) in which judges freely record their aroma terms. Subsequently QDA° type strategies were used to create the sensory language from analysis of 1100 wine X judge interactions in which free use of terms was used to describe the wines. Next, an experiment analyzed the wines using a new descriptive analysis scorecard which contained the ten most frequently used terms; and scores were computed from the number of times terms were selected by the judges (frequency of use). Groups of sixteen wines, for which the judges had no large negative bias, from the Carneras American Viticutural Areas (AVA), were compared to those from California wine growing regions (Central Coast, Napa and Sonoma). Replicate trials showed Carneras AVA and Central Coast wines clustered in the principal components (PCA) analysis of the sensory data. The detection of regional typicalness by professionals: (1) was linked to their perceived quality bias, (2) was easily detected in high quality wines linked to grape attributes more than to winemaking attributes, and (3) was not possible when judges had determined that perceived wine quality was low. ANOVA and polar spider plot analysis of the clusters indicated that the important aroma attributes of Carneros wines included Citrus and Green Apples/Pears. Lastly, the sensory analysis data was compared to chemical analysis of terpenes for several wines (n = 22). Chardonnay terpene (linalool) concentrations were highly correlated (p < 0.01) with the attribute scores for Citrus which was important in the PCA analysis of the sensory data. These sensory processes offer a descriptive analysis process that accommodates the wine industry professional. The method also offers several advantages over flavor profiling methods including the reduction of the potentially confounding problems of “quality” and “standard terms” among industry professionals as well as speed and correlation with chemical analyses.

The poor precision of the Adams-Harbertson wine tannin assay which was proposed for commercial winemaking, thereby creating the real possibility of quality control problems, is documented. The method is a version of the Hagerman and Butler protein precipitation-based tannin method. An extensive invalidation of the assay results with luxury wine data shows that the assay cannot distinguish bottled wine with reasonable accuracy. Five laboratories used Adams-Harbertson to assay 9 replicates each, of 3 bottled wines (n 135) found in California supermarkets, with tannin concentrations of nominally 500 and 1000 ppm by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Reliability exceeded the 5 industry requirement by nominally 5 times (z-score based on 5 distribution). Coefficient of variation was 27, making the standard deviation range 54 for Pinot Noir, 34 for Merlot, and 44 for Cabernet Sauvignon. Validity exceeded the 100 requirement. Intralaboratory validity recovery was 5563. Interwinery validity was 71178 of the mean for Pinot Noir, 81144 for Merlot, and 83164 for Cabernet Sauvignon. Range as a function of the mean was 89 for Pinot Noir, 55 for Merlot, and 67 for Cabernet Sauvignon. Expect intermethod validity to be nominally 50, i.e., percent recovery to HPLC. These statistically significant errors were predicted by the literature. First-order error is related to the tannin-protein equilibrium constant (Ka), as suggested by the original author, Hagerman, and the protein equivalence point error as suggested by Silber. This does not obviate second-order errors for tannin-protein analytical chemistry. Winemakers using the measurements risk making wines that are relatively more tannic than the measurements report.