IVAS 2022 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 IVAS 9 IVAS 2022 9 A first look at the aromatic profile of “Monferace” wines

A first look at the aromatic profile of “Monferace” wines

Abstract

Grignolino, is a native Piedmont grape variety which well represents the historical and
enological identity of Monferrato, a territory between Asti and Casale Monferrato, included in the World Heritage List designated by UNESCO (1). Numerous documents trace its cultivation back to the early Middle Age. Until the mid-1900s Grignolino was considered a fine wine valued as much as Barolo and Barbaresco for its quality, finesse, and unique characteristics (2). Today the young and “easy” version of this wine is the best known and appreciated for a pale ruby red color with tints that rapidly tend to orange, high acidity, with distinct tannins. However, some local wine producers, the Monferace association, in order to revive the ancient glories of Grignolino, have decided to produce an aged version of this wine. For this purpose, they have drawn up production guidelines that require at least 40 months of ageing, 24 of which in oak barrels.
In order to characterize Monferace, for the first time, from an aromatic point of view, 2012 (four years of ageing) and 2015 (two years of ageing) wines were analyzed. Their aromatic composition was evaluated using SPE-GC-MS methods and sensory analysis (3). The most important volatile compounds identified in these wines belong to the class of lactones, hydroxybenzaldehydes, phenols, short and medium chain fatty acids and their ethyl esters. Moreover, traces of some isoprenoid compounds were detected. Results highlighted a composite and rich aromatic profile, typical of wines characterized by great structure and complexity. From an olfactory point of view Monferace differs significantly from the more
widespread, and not aged, Grignolino wines. The former shows important notes of wood, boisée, floral, cherry, berries, caramel and spice, the latter is characterized by notes of violet, rose, raspberry, pepper, currant, cherry, resinous and vegetable. Statistical analysis showed a good correlation between the main olfactory descriptors identified in the wines and key aroma compounds measured in the same samples.

References

1) UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1390/
2) Desana, P. Barbesino and Grignolino wines in the grape-wine history of Monferrato. Studying 12th century documents. 1980, Vignevini. 7(12) p. 15-17.
3) Petrozziello, M., Bonello, F., Asproudi, A., Nardi, T., Tsolakis, C., Bosso, A., Martino, V. D., Fugaro, M., & Mazzei, R. A. (2020). Differences in xylovolatiles composition between chips or barrel aged wines: OENO One, 54(3), 513–522. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2020.54.3.2923

DOI:

Publication date: June 24, 2022

Issue: IVAS 2022

Type: Poster

Authors

Petrozziello Maurizio1, Asproudi Andriani1, Bonello Frederica1, Cravero Maria Carla1, Gianotti Silvia2 and Ronco Mario2

1CREA, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology
2Associazione Monferace, Castello di Ponzano Monferrato

Contact the author

Keywords

Grignolino, wood ageing, aromatic compounds, GC-MS, sensory analysis.

Tags

IVAS 2022 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Grapevine varietal diversity as mitigation tool for climate change: Agronomic and oenologic potential of 14 foreign varieties grown in Languedoc region (France)

Climate change effects in Languedoc include an expected rise in temperatures, increased evapotranspiration as well as more severe and frequent climatic hazards, such as frost, drought periods and heat waves. For winegrowers theses phenomena impact both yield and quality, resulting in more frequent unbalanced wines. Research on identified mitigation tools for vineyard management is necessary to improve resilience of grapevine agrosystems. Varietal assortment is one of them. This study focuses on agronomic and oenologic potential of 14 foreign varieties grown in Languedoc French region. Fourteen grapevine varieties were monitored during 2021 from June until harvest on eight different sites, some of which occurring on more than one site adding up to 21 different modalities: 7 white varieties Alvarinho B, Assyrtiko B (2), Malvasia Istriana B, Parellada B, Verdejo B, Verdelho B, Xarello B, and 7 black varieties Saperavi N (2), Touriga nacional N, Baga N, Aleatico N, Montepulciano N (2), Primitivo N (3), Calabrese N (3). Varietals were compared through the following parameters: phenology was assessed by using the information collected in the Database Network of French Vine Conservatories (INRAE-SupAgro-IFV, 2005-2015). The number of inflorescences for shoots from secondary buds and bourillons and suckers were observed to assess post-bud break frost tolerance potential. Grapevine water status was studied through stem water potential measurement, observation of foliage symptoms of drought, and 𝛿13C on must. Frequencies and intensities of downy mildew, powdery mildew, and black rot attacks were estimated before harvest on leaves and clusters and botrytis at harvest to assess disease susceptibilities. Berry composition was monitored from end of veraison until harvest. Yield and mean bunch weight were also calculated. Varieties were then ranked on a 1-4 scale for each parameter and compared through PCA. Forty two stations of the Mediterranean basin were compared by PCA with the Multicriteria Climatic Classification indicators in order to confront the collected information during 2021 campaign to the hypothesis that plants coming from dry and hot regions are genetically adapted to such climatic conditions.

Georgian vitis germplasm: conservation, research and usage

Grapevine Vitis vinifera L. is a leader perennial crops for the Republic of Georgia, the South Caucasus. This is a region where the first wine making practice was initiated 8.000 years ago (McGovern et al. 2017) and a spot of grape domestication. The country of Georgia holds 525 local and more than 60 breeding varieties – they are preserved in 9 field collections inside the country.The list of recommended wine cultivars contains 34 names, including 27 old autochthonous varieties and covering 94% of the country’s vineyards.

Evaluation of vineyards, fruit and wine affected by wild fire smoke

Wineries may randomly reject fruit from vineyards near wild fires exposed to smoke. It is difficult to determine if fruit has been compromised in quality when exposed to smoke

Greffadapt: a relevant experimental vineyard to speed up the selection of grapevine rootstocks

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.20.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

L’évolution des Appellations d’Origine aux Etats-Unis

Un peu d’histoire pour nous efforcer de mettre le sujet des appellations dans un contexte général. Six cents ans avant Jésus-Christ, le Côte du Rhône était plantée en vignes peu après l’arrivée des Grecs