terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Aromatic maturity is a cornerstone of terroir expression in red wine

Aromatic maturity is a cornerstone of terroir expression in red wine

Abstract

Harvesting grapes at adequate maturity is key to the production of high-quality red wines. Enologists and wine makers define several types of maturity, including technical maturity, phenolic maturity and aromatic maturity. Technical maturity and phenolic maturity are relatively well documented in the scientific literature, while articles on aromatic maturity are scarcer. This is surprising, because aromatic maturity is, without a doubt, the most important of the three in determining wine quality and typicity (including terroir expression). Optimal terroir expression can be obtained when the different types of maturity are reached at the same time, or within a short time frame. This is more likely to occur when the ripening takes place under mild temperatures, neither too cool, nor too hot. Aromatic expression in wine can be driven, from low to high maturity, by green, herbal, fresh fruit, ripe fruit, jammy fruit, candied fruit or cooked fruit aromas. Green and cooked fruit aromas are not desirable in red wines, while the levels of other aromatic compounds contribute to the typicity of the wine in relation to its origin. Wines produced in cool climates, or on cool soils in temperate climates, are likely to express herbal or fresh fruit aromas; while wines produced under warm climates, or on warm soils in temperate climates, may express ripe fruit, jammy fruit or candied fruit aromas. Growers can optimize terroir expression through their choice of grapevine variety. Early ripening varieties perform better in cool climates and late ripening varieties in warm climates. Additionally, maturity can be advanced or delayed by different canopy management practices or training systems.

DOI:

Publication date: May 31, 2022

Issue: Terclim 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Cornelis van Leeuwen1, Jean-Christophe Barbe2, Philippe Darriet2, Agnès Destrac-Irvine1, Marc Gowdy1, Georgia Lytra2, Axel Marchal2, Stéphanie Marchand2, Marc Plantevin2, Xavier Poitou3, Alexandre Pons2,4, Gilles de Revel2 and Cécile Thib

1EGFV, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE, ISVV, Villenave d’Ornon, France
2
Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRAE, Univ. Bordeaux, ISVV, Villenave d’Ornon France
3Jas Hennessy, Cognac, France
4Tonnellerie Seguin-Moreau, Cognac, France

Contact the author

Keywords

Vitis vinifera, grapevine, maturity, aroma, terroir

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terclim 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Geology and landscape as determining factors in microfields and development of the different Spanish appellations of origin

Dividing agrarian exploitations into microfields is a problem that influences the modern viticulture in a very important way. The aim of this work is the study of the influence of Geology and Geomorphology in agricultural structures

Metabolomic profile of red non-V. vinifera genotypes

Vitis vinifera L. is the most widely cultivated Vitis species which includes numerous cultivars. Owing to their superior quality of grapes, these cultivars were long considered the only suitable for the production of fine wines. However, the lack of resistance genes in V. vinifera against major grapevine pathogens, requires for its cultivation frequent spraying with large amount of fungicides. Thus, the search for alternative and more sustainable methods to control the grapevine pathogens have brought the breeders to focus their attention on other Vitis species. In fact, wild Vitis genotypes present multiple resistance traits against pathogens, such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and phylloxera.

Étude de la flore levurienne de différents terroirs alsaciens

L’utilisation de levures sélectionnées est généralement considérée comme le moyen d’éviter les problèmes fermentaires. Néanmoins de nombreux viticulteurs pensent que ces levures sont à l’origine d’une standardisation des vins et militent pour le respect d’une flore indigène (Bourguignon, 1992).

Identification of compounds produced by reactions of flavonoids and acetaldehyde in wine

During aging, wine consumes small amounts of oxygen. This oxygen intake triggers a series of reactions that lead to flavonoid elongation, which is known to reduce bitterness and astringency while enhancing color stability.

Grapevine sensitivity to fungal diseases: use of a combination of terroir cartography and parcel survey

In front of the economic interest and seeking to respect their environment, the wine growers move gradually towards a policy of reasoning their plant health protection. This is why, starting from epidemiologic studies on grapevine pathogens, forecasting models of the risks are developed by research and experimentation bodies.