Monitoring of Sangiovese red wine chemical and sensory parameters along one-year aging in different tank materials and glass bottle

Abstract

The aim of this study was to test how different tank materials could affect the chemical composition and the sensory profile of a red wine during an entire year of aging. For this scope, a single varietal Sangiovese wine was aged, after completing its malolactic fermentation, by using tanks made by different materials. Six thesis were involved in the aging experiment, in particular: stainless steel, epoxy-coated concrete, uncoated concrete, earthenware raw amphorae, and new and used oak barrels. Wines were characterized for their chemical and sensory profile. Phenolic and volatile compounds, elementals content, tartaric stability and sensory discriminant attributes of Sangiovese wine from 2018 harvest were measured after 6 and 12 months of aging in tanks, and 6 months in glass bottle (after the aging of 6 months carried out in each relevant container). The results showed that the different tanks significantly differentiated the wines on the base of all the chemical and sensory parameters considered. In particular, wines aged in earthenware raw amphorae and uncoated concrete registered a high content in polymeric pigments as the new oak barrel, resulting the materials that better promote the wine color stabilization. The same wines also showed the highest pH and tartaric stability, mostly due to the observed release of elementals from the tank material into wine. Bottle aging mostly enhanced the chemical and sensory differences between all the wines: they were characterized by higher content of varietal volatiles such as norisoprenoids and terpenes, probably due to the reductive conditions in bottle. The bottle affected also the perceived quality of the wines aged in concrete associated to the floral flavor, floral odor, sweetness attributes, and to a lesser extent to acidity, while the ones aged in stainless steel and amphorae to the berry jam odor.