Evolution of esters in aged Chardonnay wines obtained with different vinification methods

BACKGROUND: During wine ageing on lees yeast lysis takes place and some enzymes from the yeast cells, such as esterases, may be released. These enzymes might determine ester synthesis and could be also involved in their breakdown. In this study, the evolution of esters in Chardonnay wine fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in bottles (conventional vinification) was compared with the evolution of esters in the same wine fermented and aged in barrel on lees. In this way, it was hoped to determine the influence of distinct methods of vinification on the evolution of esters in Chardonnay wine. RESULTS: The concentration of acetate esters of higher alcohols decreased in all the wines independently of the vinification method. However, the ethyl esters of fatty acids decreased in wine aged in barrel and increased in wine aged in bottle, so it would seem that these compounds interact with the lees present in the barrels and/or with the wood of the barrel. The ethyl esters of organic acids increased during ageing both in barrel and bottle. CONCLUSION: The ageing of Chardonnay wine in barrel on lees did not favour the formation of esters compared to the same wine aged in bottle. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of micro-oxygenation on the evolution of aromatic compounds in wines: Malolactic fermentation and ageing in wood

The effect of micro-oxygenation on the aromas of two varietal wines (Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon) when alcoholic fermentation is complete was examined. Several factors, such as whether malolactic fermentation (MLF) took place in barrels or stainless steel vats and ageing time in oak barrels, were taken into account. Major aroma components were studied using GC-FID and minor compounds were studied by GC-MS analysis before and after MLF and after 4 and 8 months of maturation in oak barrels. Sensorial analysis was performed to describe and quantify the different wine notes. Micro-oxygenation affects different compounds but the effect depends to a great extent on the grape varietal used; the effect of micro-oxygenation was more marked on the aroma of Cabernet Sauvignon wine than Tempranillo wines. The concentration of extractable compounds of wood was higher in wines after MLF in barrels than in wines after MLF in steel vats; wines with steel vat MLF had fewer toast and wood notes. The compounds that showed significant differences in concentration after 8 months of maturation were present in higher concentrations in wines fermented in barrels than in stainless steel vats. Barrel-fermented wines were sweeter, with wood and toast notes, fewer alcohol notes and fewer reductive notes.     

不同容器发酵昌黎地区霞多丽干白葡萄酒的香气研究

不同的工艺发酵环境及发酵容器都会对葡萄酒的香气产生影响,该实验旨在研究不同发酵容器对昌黎地区霞多丽葡萄酒香气的影响.研究采用相同的酿酒葡萄原料分别经过橡木桶发酵罐和不锈钢发酵罐进行发酵,采用相同的发酵工艺和发酵条件,对发酵后的原酒进行香气测定,分析不同发酵容器发酵出的原酒在香气上的区别.     

Influence of Lees Contact on Evolution of Amines in Chardonnay Wine

ABSTRACT:  Some white wines of Chardonnay variety are aged on their lees in oak barrels over several months. Over this period, autolysis takes place and different compounds are freed in the wine, among them, nitrogen compounds. The aim of this work was to study the evolution of amines in Chardonnay wine during 180 d of maturation on lees, with and without weekly stirring. The process was carried out in new French oak barrels with 225 L capacity. From the results obtained it was found that weekly stirring mainly had an influence on histamine and tyramine concentration. The concentration of these amines at the end of the aging period was higher in the wine with weekly stirring. This treatment showed no effect on the amine concentration at the beginning of the wine aging on lees. The aging time also had an influence on the concentration of amines in the Chardonnay wine.     

Chemical,physical, and sensory attributes of Sauvignon blanc wine fermented in different kinds of vessels

The use of vessels that are alternative to conventional cylindrical stainless steel tanks and traditional oak barrels during winemaking has increased in recent years. Examples of these alternative vessels include fashionable, oval-shaped vessels or classic clay jars. A Sauvignon blanc grape juice was fermented (by using a commercial starter made of two different commercial strains from Oenobrands/Anchor Oenology) in four different vessels in triplicate: 150 L cylindrical stainless steel tanks (as a control), 980 L polyethylene oval-shaped tanks, 450 L concrete oval-shaped tanks, and 225 L clay jars. Afterwards, the finished wines were chemically, physically, and sensorially characterized. The wine fermented in the concrete vessels had a slightly higher pH (about 0.05 pH units) and lower titratable acidity (about 0.20 g/L of tartaric acid equivalents) value than those of the control wine. The wine fermented in the clay jars showed the lowest amounts of C₁₀, C₁₂, and C₁₄ volatile compounds (containing about 69% of those compounds when compared with the control wine). The wine fermented in the polyethylene oval-shaped tanks was described as the most bitter, while the wine fermented in the concrete oval-shaped tanks was described as the least fruity when wines were sensory analyzed by a panel of 11 wine experts. The wines fermented in the oval-shaped vessels showed lower volatile acidity (about 25% reduction of volatile acidity when compared with wines fermented in non-oval-shaped vessels), higher residual sugars (wines fermented in the oval-shaped vessels contained about 1.7 g/L of residual sugars, while wines fermented in the non-oval-shaped vessels contained about 1.4 g/L of residual sugars), higher phosphorous content (with an increase of about 12%), and required a lower dose of bentonite to achieve protein stability (about 64 g/hL of bentonite) than those of the other wines (about 75 g/hL of bentonite). Even though some statistical differences were found among wines fermented in the different vessels, it should be noted that the differences were very small. Thus, it seems that the impact of the fermentation vessel type on final wine features is lower than expected.     

The use of oak chips during the ageing of a red wine in stainless steel tanks or used barrels: effect of the contact time and size of the oak chips on aroma compounds

Background and Aims:  This paper reports the influence of adding oak chips to a wine being aged either in stainless steel tanks or in used barrels on aroma compounds, comparing these wines with those aged in new barrels. Both the size of the oak chips and the length of contact time were considered.
Methods and Results:  Aroma compounds were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to determine the differences in these compounds between the samples. The results showed that chips release aroma compounds into wine very rapidly, an effect that was clearly seen when they were added to the wines stored in tanks. The wines aged in new barrels continued to extract aroma compounds for a longer time, and higher concentrations were reached in these wines for most aroma compounds. Wines in used barrels with added oak chips behaved in an intermediate manner.
Conclusions:  Although overall quality is better in wines matured in new barrels, the use of oak chips could be considered a good choice for producing short-aged wines and for reusing used barrels under good sanitary conditions.
Significance of the Study:  The rapid spread of technique alternatives to oak ageing justifies studies to assess the influence of oak chips on the chemical characteristics of wines and to evaluate any differences from traditional oak ageing systems.     

橡木片对霞多丽葡萄酒发酵的影响

该文研究在发酵过程中添加法国中度烘烤橡木制品对霞多丽干白葡萄酒的影响,增加霞多丽干白葡萄酒酿造工艺的选择性.接种酵母菌进行酒精发酵的同时在葡萄汁中添加法国中度烘烤橡木制品,未添加橡木制品发酵的样品为对照样,分别在发酵降糖50％和酒精发酵结束时测定理化指标、有机酸与挥发性化合物的含量.结果表明:添加橡木制品发酵对霞多丽葡萄酒化学物质有一定影响,其总高级醇、总橡木挥发性化合物含量较高.而对照样的葡萄酒中总酸和总酯含量较高,总高级醇含量是添加橡木制品发酵的葡萄酒中总高级醇含量的70％～85％,而酸类物质含量是添加橡木制品发酵葡萄酒的2倍.     

Extraction/oxidation kinetics of low molecular weight compounds in wine brandy resulting from different ageing technologies

This study provides innovative information on the influence of new technologies of ageing (stainless steel tanks with wood staves or wood tablets of chestnut or Limousin oak), in comparison with traditional technology (oak wooden barrels), on the extraction/oxidation kinetics of low molecular weight compounds of wine brandy. The brandy was sampled and analysed by HPLC during the first year of ageing. The results show that most of the compounds tend to increase over the time, but their extraction/oxidation kinetics depend on the ageing technology. The wooden barrels promote greater enrichment in the majority of the compounds. However, gallic acid, ellagic acid and syringaldehyde, and vanillin and 5-methylfurfural, which are strong antioxidants and key-odourant compounds, respectively, present higher contents in the brandy aged with the alternative technologies. Chestnut proves to be a suitable alternative to Limousin oak for the ageing of brandy in all the studied technologies, inducing faster evolution and high quality.     

酵母种类及营养剂用量对霞多丽葡萄酒中氨基甲酸乙酯产量的影响

为研究发酵过程中酵母种类和不同酵母营养剂用量对霞多丽葡萄酒中氨基甲酸乙酯（EC）含量的影响,选择了3种酵母（X5、X16、RMS2）和3个不同质量浓度梯度酵母营养剂（THIAZOTE）（0、0.3 g/L、0.6 g/L）进行发酵试验。研究表明,土壤和葡萄汁中的氮含量与葡萄酒中的EC含量密切相关;不同酵母酿造的霞多丽葡萄酒中EC产量不同,在发酵末期阶段,与酵母X16、RMS2相比,酵母X5酿造的葡萄酒中EC产量分别增长了53.8%和17.6%;葡萄酒中的EC产量随着酵母营养剂的用量的增加而升高,在发酵末期阶段,与不加酵母营养剂的对照组相比,酵母营养剂添加量为0.3 g/L和0.6 g/L酿造的葡萄酒中EC产量分别增长了12.8%和69.2%。不同发酵处理霞多丽葡萄酒EC产量范围在2.1～3.8 μg/L,均未超过美国或者欧盟规定的EC限量标准。     

Volatile composition of Bobal red wines subjected to alcoholic/malolactic fermentation with oak chips

The effect of wood, in the form of oak chips, on the volatile composition of Bobal red wines caused by adding oak chips at different stages of the fermentation process has been studied. Aroma compounds were isolated by solid phase extraction (SPE) for subsequent analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Bobal control wine was produced according to traditional winemaking processes, without oak chips. Oak chips were added to the rest of the wines at two dose levels (3 and 6 g/L) at different stages of the winemaking process: at one week during alcoholic fermentation (AF), during malolactic fermentation (MLF) and in young, red Bobal wine. Wines fermented with oak chips during AF showed higher concentrations of the ethyl esters of straight-chain fatty acids and ethyl, hexyl and isoamyl acetates than the control wine. A similar, trend was observed for higher alcohols. Higher concentrations of benzene compounds, oak lactones and furanic compounds were found in wines in contact with oak chips during MLF followed by young Bobal oak wines. These results reveal that the point of addition during the winemaking process and the dose level of oak chips used have a significant effect on the volatile composition of Bobal red wines.     

The effect of oak wood source, location of seasoning and coopering on the composition of volatile compounds in oak-matured wines

The effect of geographical origin and place of seasoning and coopering of oakwood on the concentration of 20 compounds extracted into, or formed in, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and model wines during barrel maturation is described. The oak from which the barrels were fabricated was sourced from the Vosges and Limousin regions and the Tronçais forest in France, and from Ohio in the USA, and was seasoned in either Australia, France or the USA. Wines matured in Vosges oak barrels contained the highest concentrations of cis and trans- oak lactone and eugenol. The Limousin oak barrels imparted lower levels of cis- oak lactone and eugenol to the wines than did the other French oaks. However, the Limousin-oaked wines were richer in these compounds than the American-oaked wines. These results reflected the previously reported composition profiles of the oak-wood from which the barrels were fabricated. Oak seasoned and coopered in Australia generally imparted more cis- oak lactone, eugenol and the coopering products vanillin and furfural into the wines than did the oak seasoned in France or the USA. Although medium toast had been specified for all barrels, there was considerable variability in the concentration of compounds formed by coopering in the wines. Apparent random microbiological activity in the wines also contributed substantially to variation in wine composition. As a likely result of coopering and microbiological variability, few consistent origin or seasoning effects on the compounds resulting from coopering or microbiological action during oak maturation were observed.     

Chromatic characteristics and anthocyanin profile of a micro-oxygenated red wine after oak or bottle maturation

Micro-oxygenation (MOX) was applied to a red wine for 5 months following the end of alcoholic fermentation and then both a non-oxygenated control wine and the micro-oxygenated wine were matured in oak barrels or bottles. The concentration of anthocyanin and anthocyanin-derived compounds and the chromatic characteristics of the control and micro-oxygenated wines after the maturation period were studied. Anthocyanin and anthocyanin-derived compounds composition were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; and, together with monomeric anthocyanins, compounds including direct anthocyanin-flavanol adducts, ethyl-linked anthocyanin-flavanol compounds, and pyranoanthocyanins were identified. The results showed that the improvements in the chromatic characteristics obtained by applying the MOX technique to Monastrell wines were maintained after an aging period in bottle or barrel. The color intensity of wines increased during maturation in oak barrels, whereas the color of the bottled wines decreased, although MOX wines always showed higher color intensity than the respective control wines. Bottled wines also showed a higher increase in tint and a lower quantity of compounds resistant to SO₂ discoloration than oak matured wines, indicating that the formation of these compounds is favored by the oxidative conditions in oak barrels.     

Effect of oxygen and lipid supplementation on the volatile composition of chemically defined medium and Chardonnay wine fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Oxygen or lipids are required to complete stressful alcoholic fermentation. Lack of these nutrients can inhibit sugar uptake and growth, which leads to incomplete or ‘stuck’ fermentation. Oxygen or lipids supplementation not only restores yeast fermentative activity and also affects formation of yeast volatile metabolites. To clarify the effect of oxygen and lipid supplementation on the formation of flavour active metabolites during wine fermentation, we evaluated the addition of these two nutrients to chemically defined grape juice and filter clarified Chardonnay must. Lipid addition increased the concentration of esters, higher alcohols and volatile acids, whereas oxygen increased the concentration of higher alcohols and altered the proportion of acetate to ethyl esters and the proportion of branch-chain acids to medium-chain fatty acids. Combined addition of lipids and oxygen showed an additive effect on concentration of higher alcohols whereas oxygen suppressed the enhancing effect of lipids on formation of esters and volatile acids. Our results demonstrate the potential of lipid and oxygen supplementation for the manipulation of wine aroma in white wine fermentation.     

橡木桶在高档陈酿型干红葡萄酒生产中的优化应用

橡木桶陈酿过程是酿造高品质葡萄酒最基本、最重要的环节。在生产高档陈酿型干红葡萄酒过程中,结合原料、发酵状况及陈酿过程中的酒体变化,分析研究陈酿过程中橡木桶的选择与陈酿管理等实际问题。由此制定出椽木桶优化应用方案,开发高档陈酿型干红葡萄酒系列产品。     

Ethyl carbamate in the production and aging of cachaça in oak (Quercus sp.) and amburana (Amburana cearensis) barrels

There are residual organic and inorganic contaminants in the cachaça production chain. Among the organic contaminants, ethyl carbamate has been widely studied. It is formed naturally during the fermentation processes and can be found in many foods and beverages such as bread, yoghurt, wine, beer and especially in fermented–distilled beverages such as whiskey, rum, vodka, grappa, cachaça and tiquira. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify ethyl carbamate during the steps of the production process and aging of cachaça in oak (Quercus sp) and amburana (Amburana cearensis) barrels. The cane used for cachaça production, as well as the process for obtaining the fermentation broth, did not affect the formation of ethyl carbamate, as it was not detected. Carbamate was detected in low concentrations, but was not quantified, in the fermentation, distillation and aging steps. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling