A multivariate methodological approach to relate wine to characteristics of grape composition: The case of typicality

Typicality is defined as the characteristics of a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) wine related to a terroir. In the context of a PDO, a typicality assessment can be used to assess the global quality of a PDO wine. This study used a two-phase method to identify the distinctive characteristics of a PDO wine and then apply those findings to a case study of Chianti Montespertoli DOCG wine, where DOCG is the Italian acronym for PDO. A panel of wine professionals evaluated the typicality of a series of selected PDO wine samples, and a partial least squares (PLS) regression model was used to associate wine typicality and chemical composition. The model was used to predict wine typicality from the chemical composition of experimental wines (2009, 2010, and 2011 vintages) produced from grapes growing in the PDO area. Finally, regression coefficients of the PLS model were analyzed to select which grape chemical parameters were significant in describing the typicality of the wine. These highlight the most important factors to manage during winemaking to ensure the typicality of this wine.