When applying these DM methods, variable and model selection are critical issues. Variable selection [14] is useful to discard irrelevant inputs, leading to simpler models that are easier to interpret and that usually give better performances. Complex models may overfit the data, losing the capability to generalize, while a model that is too simple will present limited learning capabilities. Indeed, both NN and SVM have hyperparameters that need to be adjusted [16], such as the number of NN hidden nodes or the SVM kernel parameter, in order to get good predictive accuracy (see Section 2.3).
The use of decision support systems by the wine industry is mainly focused on the wine production phase [12]. Despite the potential of DM techniques to predict wine quality based on physicochemical data,