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…

Mathematical modeling of fermentation kinetics: a tool to better understand interactions between Torulaspora delbrueckii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in mixed cultures

Nowadays the use of Torulaspora delbrueckii is more and more common in winemaking. However, its behavior in presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is not always predictable.

Il Soave: esempio di cultura e di scienza

L’evoluzione del settore viti-enologico, supportato dalla ricerca ci propone sempre più frequentemente vini unici e inconfondibili. Il merito di ciò è da ricercare nel rapporto vitigno-territorio e dalla

Vite e territorio. Il caso della Franciacorta nel medioevo

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" text_orientation="center" custom_margin="65px||18px||false|false"...

Study of the aromatic oxidation markers of Tempranillo long aged wines

The aromatic quality of wines after a long aging period in bottle is one of key points for oenologists. The objective of this work is to determine the main representative aromatic compounds found in long aged wines from D.O.Ca. Rioja. This study was made by 32 wines from 1971 to 2010 vintages. Sotolon, acetaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaptalene (TDN), β-damascenone, Y-decalactone and Y-dodecalactone were determined as the most important oxidation markers by GC-MS analysis. Moreover, sensory analysis using triangular tests were performed from wines with and without the addition of the mentioned compounds. Four different concentrations of each odorant were added, as individual compounds and as mixtures. The additions were ranged from values close to the reference odour thresholds up to high level concentrations. The most identified aroma was sotolon, which is commonly associated to curry and coffee liqueur aromatic notes. Other oxidative compounds were easily detected by panellists, such as Y-decalactone (peach compote), Y-dodecalactone (ripe fruit). The mixtures of the odorants were most easily detected than the individual compounds. It should be noted that acetaldehyde and phenylacetaldehyde were rarely perceived and distinguished.

Implementation of hyperspectral image analysis for evaluating table grape quality on bunch and berry level

Typically, subjective, and visual methods are used by grape growers to assess harvest maturity. These methods may not accurately represent the maturity of an entire vineyard – especially if extensive and representative sampling was not used. New technologies have been investigated for improved harvest management decisions. Spectroscopy methods utilizing the near-infrared region of the light spectrum is one such technology investigated as an alternative to classic methods and particularly the application of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has recently gained attention in research. HIS is a spectroscopic technique that obtains hundreds of images at different wavelengths collecting spectral data for each pixel in the sample i.e., providing both spectral and spatial data.