WAC 2022 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 WAC 9 WAC 2022 9 1 - WAC - Oral presentations 9 Evolution of chemical pattern related to Valpolicella aroma ‘terroir’ during bottle aging

Evolution of chemical pattern related to Valpolicella aroma ‘terroir’ during bottle aging

Abstract

Valpolicella is a famous Italian wine-producing region. Wines produced in its different sub-regions are believed to be aromatically different, as confirmed by recent studies in our laboratory. Aging is a very common practice in Valpolicella and it is required by the appellation regulation for periods up to four years require wines. The aim of this study was to investigate the evolution, during aging, of volatile chemical composition of Valpolicella wines obtained from grapes harvested in different sub-regions during different vintages.

Corvina and Corvinone grapes, the two main varieties of Valpolicella appellation, were harvested from five different vineyard blocks located in two sub-regions within Valpolicella during three consecutive vintages (2017-2019). Winemaking was performed under standardized conditions. An accelerated aging protocol was applied placing wines at 16°C and 40 °C for 30 days in epoxy resin sealed vials. Free volatile compounds as well as those obtained through hydrolysis of glycosidic precursors were analysed with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with SPE and SPME extractions.

Application of multivariate data analysis techniques to young wines allowed to identify volatile chemical patterns representing the unique aroma chemical signature of the geographical origin of each wine, regardless of vintages. In the case of aged wines, aroma signatures of individual geographical origin were preserved to a good extent after aging. In the case of Corvina, ageing slightly reduced the diversity associated with vineyard signature, conversely in Corvinone it seemed to have enhanced it. Terpenes were at the same times among the main drivers of vineyard signatures of both young and aged wines but also among the compounds most affected by ageing treatments. Highly relevant correlations were found between the decrease of some of the terpenes and the occurrence or increase of others. These transformations involve odor- active compounds with implications for floral and balsamic attributes. Despite the deep changes occurring during aging, aged wines retained an aroma chemical signature that was characteristic of their geographical origin.

DOI:

Publication date: June 9, 2022

Issue: WAC 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Giovanni Luzzini, Davide, Slaghenaufi, Maurizio, Ugliano

Presenting author

Giovanni Luzzini – Università di Verona

Università di Verona | Università di Verona

Contact the author

Keywords

 Red wine aroma – Terroir – Chemical signature of geographic identity – Valpolicella – Aging

Tags

IVES Conference Series | WAC 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Ochratoxin a degradation by Botrytis cinerea laccase: effect of oenological factors and redox mediators

This study evaluates the effect of different oenological factors and natural mediators on the degradation of Ochratoxin A (OTA) using Botrytis cinerea laccase.

Caractérisation des terroirs viticoles champenois

The Champagne vineyard extends over 35,300 ha under the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, of which 30,000 are in production. It mainly covers 3 departments: in order of importance, Marne (68% of the appellation area), Aube (22%) and Aisne (10%), and more anecdotally Haute Marne and Seine and Mame. It is a young vineyard (for more than half of the surface, the winegrowers have the experience of only one generation of vines), and fragmented (more than half of the exploitations extend over less than 1 ha; the average size of a cadastral parcel is 12 ares).

Biomarker-based phenotyping of grapevine (vitis spp.) resistance to plasmopara viticola reveals interactions between pyramided resistance loci

Grape downy mildew, caused by plasmopara viticola, is one of the main diseases affecting viticulture worldwide and its control usually relies on frequent sprays with agrochemicals. Grapevine varieties resistant to p. Viticola represent an effective solution to control downy mildew and reduce the environmental impact of viticulture. Loci of resistance to p. Viticola (Rpv) have been introgressed from wild vitis species and some of them, like Rpv1, Rpv3.1 and Rpv10, are currently the most utilized genetic resources in grape breeding.

Is the consumer ready for innovative fruit wines?

AIM: Wine consumption in the last fifteen years showed a decrease in Europe [1]. New alternatives of wines appeared on the market. Those beverages are obtained by blending wines and fruit juices or flavoring wines with artificial or natural aromas and have medium alcohol content (from 8 to 10.5%) [2]. Recently, an innovative fruit wine has been proposed obtained by co-fermenting grape must and kiwi juice [3] whose potential attractiveness to consumers should be exploited. However, differences in product acceptability and perception, as well as the individuals’ willingness to consume and pay could change in function of subjects socio-demographic characteristics. The target group selected is represented by young adults (18-35 years old) consumption groups.

Novel table grape varieties as “ready-to-eat” products

Consumers are increasingly requesting ready-to-eat products, which are time-saving and convenient. Offering ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables represents a quick and easy way for any consumer to add healthy products to their diet. In this study, we evaluated the aptitude of several table grape varieties to be included in the processing and packaging lines of ready-to-eat products. The following work was based on the characterization of genetic materials and varietal innovation.