Evaluation of Geographic Origin of Torrontés Wines by Chemometrics

This work discusses the determination of the provenance of commercial Torrontés wines from different Argentinean provinces (Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Rio Negro) by the use of UV-vis spectroscopy and chemometric techniques. In order to find classification models, wines (n = 80) were analyzed using UV-Vis region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to classify Torrontés wines according to their geographical origin. Classification rates obtained were highly satisfactory. The PLS-DA and LDA calibration models showed that 100% of the Mendoza, San Juan, Salta and Rio Negro Torrontés wine samples had been correctly classified. These results demonstrate the potential use of UV spectroscopy with chemometric data analysis as a method to classify Torrontés wines according to their geographical origin, a procedure which requires low-cost equipment and short-time analysis in comparison with other techniques.