# Influence of Region on Sensory and Chemical Profiles of Pennsylvania Gruner Veltliner Wines
## 1 Introduction  
Environmental conditions, in combination with many other factors, are known to affect final wine quality. Seasonal weather patterns, along with cultural factors such as soil type and grape variety, impart specific characteristics to wines [1]. This concept has been popularized in Old World wine regions as _terrori_, a term that refers to the geographical influence a place has on wine produced there [2]. While regional characteristics in wines are well recognized in Old World countries, New World wine regionality is less commonly recognized, but still an important concept, as wines produced in these regions become more renowned among the industry and consumers [3]. Regionality is a term used in the wine industry to describe the particular style of wine that a growing region produces [3]. Determining the characteristics of specific regions can help growers predict the quality of wine grapes before they are harvested and eventually vinified. Numerous studies have compared wine regions in a number of countries and found differences in aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel aspects in both commercial wines and wines that were made with a standard protocol to eliminate stylistic differences [4; 5; 6; 7]. Some of these studies also found differences in the chemical profiles of investigated wines, or were able to relate aroma and flavor differences to environmental conditions [4; 5; 6; 7]. While it may be expected that grapes grown thousands of kilometers from each other will yield wines with noticeably different characteristics, differences can also be found within one country of origin. In Australia, analysis of commercial Cabernet Sauvignonreported that the presence of specific volatile and non-volatile compounds was region-specific, including 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, monoterpenes such as menthone and monomeric anthocyanins [8]. In Chile, regional proximity to the Andes Mountains negatively impacted ester (e.g., isoamyl octanoate, ethyl phenyl acetate, and ethyl dodecanoate), and acid concentration (e.g., hexanoic and octanoic acid) in commercial Carignan wines [9]. Studies in Canada have examined differences within a designated viticultural area, namely the Niagara Peninsula. Differences in aroma and flavor exist between sub-appellations of the region, both in commercial and research wines [10; 11]. Examining regionality in wine-growing areas that are lesser known may help new or local regions gain recognition among wine consumers. In Pennsylvania, a mid-Atlantic state in the northeast United States and the location of the present study, wine regionality is only just beginning to be examined, and regional profiles for Pennsylvania wines have yet to be elucidated. Defining regional characteristics for the Pennsylvania wine industry can be useful in marketing specific characteristics of wines from a designated region and for building a reputation for high quality wine produced in that area. Researchers have examined two varieties of commercial Pennsylvania white wines for regional trends and found wines from the northwest region of the state to be sweeter; however, winemaker style likely influenced final wine composition and therefore masked potential regional characteristics [12]. Unlike other wine-growing areas, Pennsylvania does not have a \"signature\" variety; however, there are some grape varieties that are grown in many regions across the state, including Gruner Veltliner (Gruner V.), a _Vitis vinifera_ white fleshed wine grape variety native to Austria. The variety was first brought to Pennsylvania in 2003 and has since become popular among growers in many of Pennsylvania's wine-growing regions [13]. While Gruner V. has not been the subject of many studies in the United States, the variety has been studied more frequently in Austria, where it comprises 31% of the country's total wine-growing area [14].