3.5. Preliminary sensory analysis
The aim of the preliminary sensory analysis testing was to
evaluate, first of all, if there were differences from an organoleptic
point of view between traditionally produced wines (unfermented)
and partially fermented wines. Traditional Pedro Ximenez wines
show, honey, dates, liquid caramel, raisin fruits and dry stem notes.
On the other hand, partially fermented wines show secondary
aromas due to the yeast fermentation but preserve a part of the
primary aromas contributed by the Pedro Ximenez variety and the
raisin process (Fig. 4).
Other organoleptic characteristic is the acidity/sweetness balance. An imbalance in these organoleptic characteristics towards
sweetness causes the sweet wines of dried grapes elaborated
traditionally to be considered cloying (Lopez de Lerma & Peinado,
2011). During fermentation the sugar content decreases whereas
the value of the acidity increases, so the acidity/sweetness balance
is better in the partially fermented wines. Lastly, partially fermented wines show higher fresh fruit notes (Fig. 4). These facts
clearly differentiate the traditional produced wines from those
obtained by partial fermentation.