SENSORY PROPERTIES IMPORTANT TO AUSTRALIAN FINE WINE CONSUMER SEGMENT PERCEPTION OF CHARDONNAY WINE COMPLEXITY AND PREFERENCE

In winemaking, the use of wood products alternative to barrels, has become a useful tool for the achievement of numerous oenological objectives, including the fast release of desirable volatile and polyphenolic compounds, colour stabilization, and important economic advantages if compared to the traditional barrel production. Among a huge array of variables, the wood format, the vinification protocol, especially the moment of the infusion of the woods and the exposed surface area of the alternative woods are of relevant significance, since they may influence the speed and intensity of the aroma transfer from the wood to the wine defining different sensory profiles.

Wine production is a complex biochemical process that involves a heterogeneous microbiota consisting of different microorganisms such as yeasts, bacteria, and filamentous fungi. Among these microorganisms, yeasts play a predominant role in the chemistry of wine, as they actively participate in alcoholic fermentation, a biochemical process that transforms the sugars in grapes into ethanol and carbon dioxide while producing additional by-products. The quality of the final product is greatly influenced by the microbiota present in the grape berry, and the demand for indigenous yeast starters adapted to specific grape must and reflecting the biodiversity of a particular region is increasing. This supports the concept that indigenous yeast strains can be associated with a “terroir”.

Kalecik Karası is a domestic grape variety of Turkey, originating from Kalecik district, 80 km from Ankara. Although there is no definite evidence, it is known that it was used in wine production by many civilizations that lived in the Anatolian region, especially the Hittites. Compared to other black wine grapes, it stands out with its low tannin content, rich fruity aroma and complex structure. In good vintages, red fruits such as strawberries, cherries and raspberries stand out in the aroma profile. Although its structure is elegant, it has the potential to age and develop similar to the ‘Pinot Noir’ wine of the Burgundy region. This offers a complex aroma structure including red flowers, earth and ripe fruits.

The use of pesticides for vine growing is responsible for generating an important volume of wastewater. In 2009, 13 processes were authorized for wastewater treatment but they are expensive and the toxicological impact of the secondary metabolites that are formed is not clearly established. Recently photodecomposition processes have been studied and proved an effectiveness to degrade pesticides and to modify their structures (Maheswari et al., 2010, Lassale et al., 2014). In this field, Pulsed Light (PL) seems to be an interesting and efficient process (Baranda et al., 2017). Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the PL technology as a new process for the degradation of pesticides.

Chitin is the main structural component of a large number of organisms (i.e., mollusks, insects, crustaceans, fungi, algae), and marine invertebrates including crabs and shrimps. The main derivative of chitin is chitosan (CH), produced by N-deacetylation of chitin in alkaline solutions. Over the past decade, the OIV/OENO 338A/ 2009 resolution approved the addition of allergen-free fungoid CH to must and wine as an adjuvant for microbiological control, prevention of haziness, metals chelation and ochratoxins removal (European Commission. 2011). Despite several studies on application of CH in winemaking, there are still very limited and controversial data on its interaction with acidic components in wine (Colan-gelo et al., 2018; Castro Marin et al., 2021).