Phenolic composition of Tempranillo wines following early defoliation of the vines

BACKGROUND: Early defoliation is a viticultural practice aimed at crop control. So far, the impact of early leaf removal on the monomeric phenolic composition of wines has not been explored. This study examines the effects of early defoliation on the phenolic profile and content in Tempranillo wines. The influence of the defoliation method (manual vs mechanical) and the timing of leaf removal (pre‐bloom vs fruit set) was investigated. RESULTS: Over two consecutive seasons, 2007 and 2008, the monomeric phenolic composition in Tempranillo wines was studied by high‐performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection, and 22 compounds were identified and quantified. Overall, early defoliation led to wines more intensely coloured, of higher alcohol content and with larger concentrations of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols and anthocyanins (in 2008 only for mechanical treatments). In the absence of fungal infection, resveratrol was found to increase in wines corresponding to early defoliation treatments. The method of leaf removal seemed to be more critical than the timing of intervention, and larger effects on wine phenolic composition were observed for mechanical treatments. CONCLUSION: Early defoliation proved to be an effective technique for improving the phenolic composition of Tempranillo wines, by favouring the accumulation of hydroxycinnamics, flavonols and anthocyanins. This is an important achievement, as wine quality is often described by its colour and phenolic attributes. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Anthocyanin fingerprint of clones of Tempranillo grapes and wines made with them

Background and Aims:  Different clones with distinctive enological characteristics have been identified in many grape cultivars, but data on differences in anthocyanin composition of clones of the same cultivar are scarce. Thus, it has been considered of interest to check changes in the anthocyanin fingerprint of six different clones of Tempranillo grapes grown in the same vineyard, and of wines made with them, over three consecutive years.
Methods and Results:  Data were submitted to different statistical procedures. Despite slight differences in the anthocyanin fingerprint of some clones (relative content of different anthocyanins analysed), variations from year to year were more important than differences in the anthocyanin profile of the clones considered. This fact was also observed when the content (mg/kg grapes) of those molecules was considered. Moreover, Tempranillo wines made with different clones could be classified by discriminant analysis, using the anthocyanin fingerprint or the levels (mg/L wine) of several anthocyanins as predictor variables, and the year grapes were collected as a classification factor.
Conclusions:  The anthocyanin fingerprint of six clones of Tempranillo grapes grown in the same vineyard and that of wines made with them over three consecutive years was affected mostly by weather conditions, despite slight differences in the anthocyanin fingerprint of some clones.
Significance of the Study:  This is the first report on the anthocyanin composition of different clones of Tempranillo grapes and of wines made with them, and indicates that anthocyanin fingerprint of Tempranillo wines depends mainly on agroclimatic factors, and not on genetic differences among clones.     

Influence of prefermentative maceration temperature on the colour and the phenolic and volatile composition of rosé wines

Prefermentative maceration for 8 h at 5, 10 and 15 °C was used to make rosé wines, and changes in their colour (colour intensity (CI), tone and CIELAB parameters), phenolic compounds (classic indices and individual compounds) and volatile compounds (major and minor) were monitored from the must stage to wines until 6 months after bottling. The 15 °C maceration temperature provided wines with the highest CI, a* and C* values, the greatest malvidin‐3‐glucoside content and the lowest alcohol and ethyl acetate levels. Only in these wines were terpenols released after 6 months in the bottle. The wines produced at 5 °C had the highest ester levels, which also remained more stable during storage. When using maceration temperature as the differentiating variable in a discriminant analysis, volatile compounds were important contributors. However, colour and phenolic compound parameters were important when sampling time was used as the differentiating variable. The best scoring wines in an informal sensory evaluation test were those subjected to 15 °C maceration, while the least appreciated were those macerated at 5 °C. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of the prefermentative addition of copigments on the polyphenolic composition of Tempranillo wines after malolactic fermentation

The influence of the prefermentative addition of copigments and different winemaking technologies on the polyphenolic composition of Tempranillo red wines after malolactic fermentation was studied. Six experiments dealing with the prefermentative addition of caffeic acid, rutin, (+) catechin, white grape skin tannin, white grape seed tannin and control wines were realised. Three different winemaking technologies (traditional vinification, prefermentative cold maceration at 6–8 °C and cold soak at 0–2 °C with dry ice) were studied. Prefermentative addition of copigments increases anthocyanin copigmentation reactions and produces wines with a greater colour, a higher anthocyanin concentration, a superior contribution of anthocyanins to the colour of the wine, a superior percentage of tannins polymerised with polysaccharides and less astringency. Cold prefermentative maceration increases the extraction of polyphenols, the anthocyanin copigmentation reactions and the polymerisation reactions between tannins and polysaccharides. The effectiveness of the combination of copigments and prefermentative maceration treatments was demonstrated by the increase of the concentration of the polyphenolic compounds.     

Changes in volatile composition and sensory attributes of wines during alcohol content reduction

A desirable sensory profile is a major consumer driver for wine acceptability and should be considered during the production of reduced‐alcohol wines. Although various viticultural practices and microbiological approaches show promising results, separation technologies such as membrane filtration, in particular reverse osmosis and evaporative perstraction, in addition to vacuum distillation, represent the most common commercial methods used to produce reduced‐alcohol wine. However, ethanol removal from wine can result in a significant loss of volatile compounds such as esters (ethyl octanoate, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate) that contribute positively to the overall perceived aroma. These losses can potentially reduce the acceptability of the wine to consumers and decrease their willingness to purchase wines that have had their alcohol level reduced. The change in aroma as a result of the ethanol removal processes is influenced by a number of factors: the type of alcohol reduction process; the chemical‐physical properties (volatility, hydrophobicity, steric hindrance) of the aroma compounds; the retention properties of the wine non‐volatile matrix; and the ethanol level. This review identifies and summarises possible deleterious influences of the dealcoholisation process and describes best practice strategies to maintain the original wine composition. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

The aromatic volatile composition of Lonicera edulis wines produced with three different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Three different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae – D₁₅, Dibosh and 71B – were evaluated in the fermentation of Lonicera edulis wines. Volatile aromatic components were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry coupled with headspace solid‐phase microextraction. In all, 81 volatile compounds were identified in L. edulis wines, including 43, 48 and 38 individually found in wines fermented with D₁₅, Dibosh and 71B. There were 17 common volatile aromatic components found in all the three L. edulis wines. The main volatile compounds in wines fermented with D₁₅ and Dibosh yeasts were 2‐methyl‐1‐butanol (24.8%) and hexane (20.6%). Pentanol was the primary volatile aromatic compound in wines produced with S. cerevisiae 71B, accounting for 40.8% of total volatile aromatic compounds. Combining the sensory analysis, S. cerevisiae D₁₅ was suggested to be the most suitable strain for producing L. edulis wine. © 2018 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Replacement of sulfur dioxide by lysozyme and oenological tannins during fermentation: influence on volatile composition of white wines

BACKGROUND: In recent years the use of sulfur dioxide, a commonly used additive in winemaking, has been questioned because of its toxic effects on human health. Studies have been conducted to find alternatives that can effectively substitute for this additive in all its various technological functions. In previous work, lysozyme and oenological tannins were found as possible substitutes in controlling bacterial undesirable fermentations and phenolic oxidation. However, data on the volatile composition of wines obtained by that protocol are lacking. In this work, the effects on volatile composition of white wines by the substitution of SO₂ during fermentation with lysozyme and tannin were studied. At the same time, the technological performance of two strains of yeast that produce low amounts of SO₂ were evaluated. RESULTS: The results showed that both SO₂ and lysozyme prevented the development of undesirable bacterial fermentations. The study of volatile compounds shows differences in the alcohol, acid and ester contents among the final products: wines fermented with strain 1042 and lysozyme had higher total alcohol concentration, while the addition of SO₂ promoted higher production of 3‐methyl‐1‐butanol, 3‐methylthio‐1‐propanol, phenylethyl alcohol and 4‐hydroxy‐benzenethanol. Esters, as a total, were influenced by the different strain and tannins addition, while amounts of medium‐chain fatty acid ethyl esters and their corresponding fatty acids were found in higher amounts in wines coming from fermentations with lysozyme. The sensory analysis revealed a preference for wines to which lysozyme and tannins had been added. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the addition of lysozyme and oenological tannins during alcoholic fermentation could represent a promising alternative to the use of SO₂ and for the production of wines with reduced content of SO₂. The composition of the volatiles in the final wines was affected by the different vinification protocols (mainly with regards to alcohols and ethyl esters). Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of grape variety and their phenolic composition on vasorelaxing activity of young red wines

Red wine has been reported to exert beneficial effects in preventing cardiovascular diseases probably due to their polyphenols constituents. The vasorelaxant capacity and phenolic composition of four monovarietal young red wines Merlot, Tempranillo, Garnacha and Cabernet-Sauvignon obtained from grapes from 2004 vintage, cultivated under the same climatic and agricultural conditions, wine-making technology and storage conditions, were determined using vascular reactivity assay in rat aortic and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells from Wistar rats were also used to evaluate their survival prevention activity as well. Every studied wine present vasorelaxation effect, but the higher value corresponds to the analyzed Merlot wine, especially rich in phenolic compounds, mainly catechins and oligomeric proanthocyanidins and anthocyanin glycosides. This study further demonstrated previous investigations about the phenolic composition of wines relation with their vasorelaxation activity.     

Volatile profile and potential of inactive dry yeast‐based winemaking additives to modify the volatile composition of wines

BACKGROUND: With the objective of determining the potential of winemaking additives based on inactive dry yeast (IDY) to modify the volatile composition of wines, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was employed to characterize the volatile profile of a widely used IDY preparation. To have the most accurate picture of the volatile compounds, pressurized liquid extraction technique (PLE) was used with different solvents and extraction temperatures. Complementary headspace solid‐phase microextraction was applied to gain insight into the volatile composition. In addition, the ability of some target volatile (pyrazines) to be released into model wines was investigated. RESULTS: The PLE technique was mainly suitable for the extraction of volatile compounds with a low to medium molecular weight and the best extraction yields were obtained by using apolar solvents (hexane) and high temperatures (150 °C). PLE in combination with solid‐phase microextraction allowed the identification of 35 volatile compounds, most of them heterocyclic‐containing nitrogen compounds formed during the processing of IDY that could be released into the wines: the signal of four target masses corresponding to 2,5‐dimethylpyrazine, trimethylpyrazine, methylbutylpyrazine and 2‐ethyl‐3,5‐dimethylpyrazine increased in the synthetic wines after 13 days when IDY was left in the model wines. CONCLUSION: The study confirmed that some volatile compounds identified in IDY which were formed during processing could be released into the wines which might modify wine aroma composition. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Impact of various maceration techniques on the phenolic and volatile composition of Chenin Blanc wines

Chenin Blanc, cultivated in cool climate regions, was chosen to evaluate the impact of different maceration techniques on polyphenolic profiles and volatile compounds. Control with no skin contact (CK), cold maceration (CM), cryogenic maceration (CR), separate fermentation before blending (SFB) and extended skin contact during fermentation (ESF) were the five maceration techniques being studied. SFB and ESF techniques resulted in significantly increased polyphenolic compounds compared to the control (P < 0.05), while CM and CR maceration techniques resulted in almost no effect. Meanwhile, for aromatic components, the maximum change was observed in ESF wine, which had significantly highest levels of terpenes, alcohols, esters and acids. However, compared with control wine, CR wine had higher levels of terpenes and esters and SFB wine had higher levels of terpenes and alcohols. This study provides information about prefermentation techniques and additional options for oenologists to produce Chenin Blanc wines with different characteristics.