Sensory Characterization of Fermented Beverages Produced from White Grape Must Enriched with Crushed Aronia Fruit

Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa, black chokeberry) is characterized by a very high content of polyphenolic compounds and relatively low concentrations of fermentable sugars, which limits its direct consumption and fermentation. However, the high levels of proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins present in aronia make this fruit attractive for the development of functional foods. One potential application is the production of grape must-based fermented beverages through the enrichment of white grape must with crushed aronia fruit. In this study, three experimental fermented beverages were produced by adding crushed aronia fruit at levels of 20%, 40% and 60% (w/w) to white grape must obtained from the Fetească regală variety. The objective of the study was to assess the sensory acceptability of these aronia-enriched fermented beverages. Sensory evaluation was performed using a quantitative profile method developed in our laboratory, complemented by the OIV score sheet commonly applied in wine competitions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were applied to the sensory data, and the results were visualized using radar plots and heatmaps. The results indicated that, although none of the samples achieved scores corresponding to high-quality wines, the fermented beverages containing 40–60% aronia fruit exhibited the highest overall acceptability, regardless of the yeast strain used. However, to avoid completely masking the grape aroma, the use of 40% aronia fruit is recommended. These findings suggest that high proportions of aronia fruit can be sensorially acceptable when incorporated into white grape must-based fermented beverages, supporting their potential for further development.