Abstract:Vinegar flavor is a main factor for consumer preferences and purchases.To establish a more general sensory evaluation standard for vinegar，this study discussed the sensory characteristics of the main commercially available vinegar through the sensory quantitative description analysis.The study created 22 sensory descriptors and defined the sensory descriptors in terms of their flavour description and standard references.There were 3 taste descriptors，13 aroma descriptors and 6 taste descriptors included，and the key sensory attributes of vinegar were screened out as sourness，sweetness，caramel，harmonization，and persistence.A total of 250 consumers from different regions were convened to analyze their preferences between aged vinegar and aromatic vinegar.The obtained data were studied by multivariate statistical analysis and Pearson correlation analysis.It was found that consumers prefer vinegar with high persistence，softness，and harmony in taste，with distinct aromas of grain，flower，fruit and caramel，and high sweetness and freshness in flavor.Consumers from different regions have different preferences for products.Consumers in North China and East China have similar overall tastes，preferring products with moderate acidity and slightly sweet taste.Consumers in West China prefer products with heavier acidity，while consumers in Central China prefer those with higher sweetness and lower acidity.