RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The present work contributes by developing a rapid sensory-directed methodology for the screening and selection of high-quality wines with different sensory profiles. Verdejo and Tempranillo musts were fermented with 50 different yeasts each under controlled laboratory conditions. Resulting samples were firstly categorised according to five levels of quality by a panel of wine professionals. Higher quality samples were described by flash profiling by a semi-trained panel and most distinctive samples were screened by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O). RESULTS: Seven Verdejo and five Tempranillo samples were classified in the highest quality category, presenting different aroma profiles such as citrus, fruit in syrup, boxtree/vegetal, tropical or wet grain aromas for Verdejo and red fruit or fruit in syrup for Tempranillo. ß-Damascenone, 3-mercaptohexyl acetate and ethyl butyrate appeared as distinctive quality compounds linked to dried, tropical and red fruit aromas, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The categorisation task followed by flash profiling and GC-O analysis was shown to be a rapid and effective sensory-directed methodology for the screening of distinctive and quality wine aroma profiles in a case study of yeast selection. The wine industry could benefit from the use of this methodology as a complementary tool for optimising different technical processes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.