Characterisation of Galician (NW Spain) Ribeira Sacra wines using pattern recognition analysis Original Research Article

The objective of this work was to develop a classification system that would confirm the authenticity of Galician certified brand of origin (CBO) wines from the Ribeira Sacra area. Thirty-four chemical variables involving metals, volatile and phenolic compounds were determined in 39 red wines from Galicia divided into two categories: Ribeira Sacra CBO and non-Ribeira Sacra CBO. Feature selection techniques were employed to choose a set of optimally discriminating variables. Multivariate chemometric classification procedures were applied to modelling classes on the basis of the selected chemical data. The obtained results indicated good performance in terms of classification and prediction for CBO Ribeira Sacra wines in order to differentiate them from other similar wines produced in nearby geographical areas. Five key features (Fe, Li, Rb, delphinidin and epicatechin) provided sufficient information to enable classification rules to be developed for identifying wines according to their origin.