AGING PATTERNS OF VARIETAL VOLATILE PROFILES OF WHITE WINES: A CASE STUDY ON 18 ITALIAN VARIETAL WHITE WINES

Sauvignon blanc is characterized by distinctive aromas, both fruity and herbaceous. The “green” character has been attributed to the methoxypyrazines, while the “fruity” character is associated with polyfunctional mercaptans . Polyfunctional mercaptans are of great significance due to their high impact on wines and associated low perception thresholds.
Elemental sulfur (S⁰) is widely used to protect grapevines from powdery mildew.

Flow cytometry (FCM) is a powerful technique allowing the detection, characterization and quantification of microbial populations in different fields of application (medical environment, food industry, enology, etc.). Depending on the fluorescent markers and specific probes used, FCM provides information on the physiological state of the cell and allows the quantification of a microorganism of interest within a mixed population. For 15 years, the enological sector has shown growing interest in this technique, which is now used to determine the populations present (of interest or spoilage) and the physiological state of microorganisms at the different stages of winemaking.

With the development of naturality expectations, wines produced without any addition of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) become very popular for consumers and such wines are increasingly present on the market. Recent studies also showed that Bordeaux red wines without added SO₂ could be differentiated from a sensory point of view from similar wines produced with SO₂¹. Thus, the aim of the current study was to characterize from a sensory point of view, specific aromas of wines without added SO₂ and to identify compounds involved.

Yeast co-inoculations in winemaking have been investigated in various applications, but most often in the context of modulating the aromatic profiles of wines. Our study aimed to characterize S. cerevisiae interactions and their impact on wine by taking an integrative approach. Three cocultures and corresponding pure cultures of S. cerevisiae were characterized according to their fermentative capacities, the chemical composition and aromatic profile of the associated Chardonnay wines. The various strains studied within the cocultures showed different behaviors regarding their development.

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is important for grape growth and the quality of wine. It is essential to address the mismatch between N application and wine composition. Cabernet Gernischt (Vitis vinifera L.), as one of the main wine-grape cultivars in China, was introduced to Yantai wine region in 1892. This grape cultivar is traditionally used for quality dry red wine with fruit, spices aroma, ruby red and full-bodied wines. In order to regulate vine growth and improve grape and wine quality, Cabernet Gernischt grapevines were subjected to decreased levels of N treatments, compared to normal N supply treatment, during grape growing seasons of 2019 and 2020.