terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 EFFECT OF WHOLE BUNCH VINIFICATION ON THE ABUNDANCE OF A SWEETENING COMPOUND

EFFECT OF WHOLE BUNCH VINIFICATION ON THE ABUNDANCE OF A SWEETENING COMPOUND

Abstract

In classic red wine-making process, grapes are usually destemmed between harvest and the filling of the vat. However, some winemakers choose to let all or a part of the stems in contact with the juice during vatting, this is called whole bunch vinification. For instance, this practice is traditionally used in some French wine regions, notably in Burgundy, Beaujolais and the Rhone Valley. The choice to keep this part of the grape is likely to affect the sensory properties of wine, as its gustatory perception1,2. Previous studies have focused on the chemical composition of stems and have shown that astilbin, a sweet molecule, is a one of the major phenolic compounds3,4. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of whole bunch vinification on the concentration of astilbin in wine.

Several experiments have been carried out in various French wine regions, in Burgundy, Beaujolais and Bordeaux over three vintages allowing to compare different grape varieties namely Pinot Noir, Gamay and Merlot. The addition of stems is carried out while filling the vats, according to different proportions ranging from 15 to 50 % of the total volume of introduced grape. For each experiment, the modality with addition of stems is compared with a vat of destemmed grapes coming from the same plot. Samples were taken throughout the wine-making process to be analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Exactive, Orbitrap analyzer).

The comparison of astilbin content in the two modalities showed that the addition of stems during vatting significantly increased astilbin concentration. Furthermore, this increase varies according to the grape variety. Indeed, the ratio between the astilbin concentration of wines from the two modalities is higher in Merlot than in Pinot Noir and Gamay. The localization of astilbin in the different components of Merlot and Pinot Noir bunch was also investigated in order to better understand this difference.

This study provides new insights on the contribution of stems to the concentration of a sweet compound, astilbin. Besides, these results bring new tools to better understand the practice of whole bunch vinification from a chemical perspective.

 

1. Casassa, L.F., Dermutz, N.P., Mawdsley, P.F., Thompson, M., Catania, A.A., Collins, T.S., Ashmore, P.L., du Fresne, F., Gasic, G., Peterson, J.C.D., 2021. Whole cluster and dried stem additions’ effects on chemical and sensory properties of Pinot noir wines over two vintages. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 72, 21–35.
2. Pascual, O., González-Royo, E., Gil, M., Gómez-Alonso, S., García-Romero, E., Canals, J.M., Hermosín-Gutíerrez, I., Zamora, F., 2016. Influence of Grape Seeds and Stems on Wine Composition and Astringency. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 64, 6555–6566.
3. Fayad, S., Le Scanff, M., Waffo-Teguo, P., Marchal, A., 2021. Understanding sweetness of dry wines: First evidence of astilbin isomers in red wines and quantitation in a one-century range of vintages. Food Chemistry 352, 129293.
4. Souquet, J.-M., Labarbe, B., Le Guernevé, C., Cheynier, V., Moutounet, M., 2000. Phenolic Composition of Grape Stems. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 48, 1076–1080.

DOI:

Publication date: February 9, 2024

Issue: OENO Macrowine 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Marie Le Scanff 1,2, Axel Marchal 1,2

1. Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, OENO, UMR 1366, ISVV, F-33140 Villenave d’Ornon, France
2. Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, OENO, UMR 1366, ISVV, F-33170 Gradignan, France

Contact the author*

Keywords

Stem, Whole bunch vinification, Sweetness, Astilbin

Tags

IVES Conference Series | oeno macrowine 2023 | oeno-macrowine

Citation

Related articles…

A NEW STRATEGY AND METHODOLOGY FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYPHENOLS IN FINING PRECIPITATE

Polyphenols are secondary metabolite widely distributed in plant kingdom such as in fruits, in grapes and in wine. During the winemaking process, polyphenols are extract from the skin and seed of the berries. Fining is an important winemaking step just before bottling which has an impact on wine stabilization and clarification. Most the time, fining agent are animal or vegetal protein while some of them can be synthetic polymer like PVPP or natural origin like bentonite.

Managing changes in taste: lessons from champagne in britain 1800-1914

This paper focuses on how taste in wine (and other foods) changes and the implications of this process
for producers and merchants.
It draws primarily on the changing taste of and taste for champagne in Britain in the 19th century. Between 1850 and 1880 champagne went from a dosage level of around 20% (20 grams sugar / litre) to 0%. Champagne became the ‘dinner wine of the elite – drunk with roast meat and savoury dishes.
Contemporaries accepted that while most people could distinguish the taste of good champagne from that of bad, very few could distinguish very good from good.

AGEING BOTTLED WINES SUBMERGED IN SEA: DOES IT IMPACT WINE COMPOSITION?

Aging wines is a common practice in oenology, which in recent years has undergone some innovations. Currently, we are witnessing the practice of aging bottled wine in depth, immersed in the sea or in reservoirs, for variable periods of time, but so far, little is known about the impact of aging in depth on the physicochemical properties, of wines.
The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of this practice on the physicochemical characteristics, in particular to verify changes in the volatile composition of wines bottled and subsequently immersed in depth. A red wine from Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled and a set of bottles were submerged from July to February (2020), another set of bottles were submerged from February to September (2020) and another set was kept in the wine cellar. Bottles from each set were analyzed (in triplicate) in July 2021.

PHOTO OXIDATION OF LUGANA WINES: INFLUENCE OF YEASTS AND RESIDUAL NITROGEN ON VSCS PROFILE

Lugana wines are made from Turbiana grapes. In recent times, many white and rosé wines are bottled and stored in flint glass bottles because of commercial appeal. However, this practice could worsen the aroma profile of the wine, especially as regards the development of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). This study aims to investigate the consequences of exposure to light in flint bottles on VSCs profile of Lugana wines fermented with two different yeasts and with different post-fermentation residual nitrogen.

REGULATION OF CENTRAL METABOLISM IN THE LEAVES OF A GRAPE VINES VA- RIETAL COLLECTION ON A TEMPERATURE CLINE

Grape (Vitis vinifera) is one of the world’s oldest agricultural fruit crops, grown for wine, table grape, raisin, and other products. One of the factors that can cause a reduction in the grape growing area is temperature rise due to climate change. Elevated temperature causes changes in grapevine phenology and fruit chemical composition. Previous studies showed that grape varieties respond differently to a temperature shift of 1.5°C; few varieties had difficulties in the fruit development or could not reach the desired Brix level.