terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 WHICH TERROIR-RELATED FACTORS INFLUENCE THE MOST VOLATILE COMPOUND PRODUCTION IN COGNAC BASE WINE?

WHICH TERROIR-RELATED FACTORS INFLUENCE THE MOST VOLATILE COMPOUND PRODUCTION IN COGNAC BASE WINE?

Abstract

Cognac is a famous spirit produced in southwest France in the region of the eponymous town from wines mainly from Vitis vinifera cv. Ugni blanc. This variety gives very acidic and poorly aromatic base wines for distillation which are produced according to a very specific procedure. Grapes are picked at low sugar concentrations ranging 13-21 °Brix and musts with high turbidity (>500 NTU) are fermented without sulphite addition [1]. Fermentative aromas, as esters and higher alcohols, are currently the main quality markers considered in Cognac spirits. Hence it is important to better understand the effect of potential influential factors on the production of these compounds as well as on their precursors in berries. This communication deals with the study of the impact of various terroir components among maturity, vine rootstocks, water and nitrogen status that can influence grape and corresponding wine composition. All experiments used Ugni blanc grapes and were conducted in commercial vineyards in the Cognac region as well as in the GreffAdapt plot (13 rootstocks selected) [2]. Fermentations were performed at laboratory scale in triplicate similar to Cognac base wine elaboration under harvest-like conditions and standardized conditions, where sugars and YAN were all corrected to the same values [3]. Berry composition at harvest, including detailed amino acid profile, and wine fermentative aromas, such as higher alcohols and esters, were determined. All the parameters tested here could be ranked from the most influential to the least on ester concentrations. Under harvest-like conditions, nitrogen status was found to be the most influential followed by maturity level and finally water status, which was the least impactful parameter despite a very warm and dry 2022 grape-growing season. Higher alcohol acetates were about twice higher in the high nitrogen-status vines (+ 30 mg/L of YAN) compared to the control. Under standardized conditions, maturity was found the most impactful although the initial differences in must sugars and nitrogenous compounds were smoothed, and nitrogen status was the least. Indeed, fatty acid ethyl esters differed considerably depending on maturity and their concentrations were the lowest when grapes were picked around 13-15 °Brix compared to the other two more advanced maturities. These findings highlight the importance of maturity as a key parameter for growers to take into consideration for Cognac production.

 

1. Guittin, C., Maçna, F., Sanchez, I., Poitou, X., Sablayrolles, J.-M., Mouret, J.-R., & Farines, V. (2021). Impact of high lipid contents on the production of fermentative aromas during white wine fermentation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 1-15.
2. Marguerit, E.; Lagalle, L.; Lafargue, M.; Tandonnet, J.-P.; Goutouly, J.-P.; Beccavin, I.; Roques, M.; Audeguin, L.; Ollat, N. Gref-fAdapt: A relevant experimental vineyard to speed up the selection of grapevine rootstocks. In Proceedings of the 21st Inter-national Giesco meeting, Tessaloniki, Greece, 24–28 June 2019; Koundouras, S., Ed.; pp. 204–208.
3. Trujillo, M., Bely, M., Albertin, W., Masneuf-Pomarède, I., Colonna-Ceccaldi, B., Marullo, P., & Barbe, J.-C. (2022). Impact of Grape Maturity on Ester Composition and Sensory Properties of Merlot and Tempranillo Wines. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 70(37), 11520-11530.

DOI:

Publication date: February 9, 2024

Issue: OENO Macrowine 2023

Type: Poster

Authors

Julia GOUOT1,2,3*, Mathilde BOISSEAU3, Xavier POITOU3, Nicolas LE MENN1,2, Laura FARRIS1,2, Marine MOREL4, Elisa MARGUE-RIT4 & Jean-Christophe BARBE1,2

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
3. R&D Department, JAS Hennessy & Co, Cognac, France
4. EGFV, Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE, ISVV, F-33882, Villenave d’Ornon, France

Contact the author*

Keywords

Aroma compounds, Grape composition, Base wine for Cognac distillation, Ugni blanc

Tags

IVES Conference Series | oeno macrowine 2023 | oeno-macrowine

Citation

Related articles…

INFLUENCE OF WINEMAKING VARIABLES AND VINEYARD LOCATIONS ON CHEMICAL AND SENSORY PROFILES OF SOUTH TYROLEAN PINOT BLANC

Pinot Blanc, an important grape variety grown in some mountain areas of Northern Italy such as South Tyrol over the last decades, with its cultivation covering 10.3% of the total vineyards, has compatible climatic conditions (e.g. heat requirements) which are normally found in the geographical areas of the mountain viticulture [1,2,3,4]. Climatic changes are hastening the growth of this variety at higher elevations, particularly for the production of high quality wine.

Read More

INFLUENCE OF THE THICKNESS OF OAK ALTERNATIVES ON THE COMPOSITION AND QUALITY OF RED WINES

Aging red wines in oak barrels is an expensive and laborious process that can only be applied to wines with a certain added value. For this reason, the use of oak alternatives coupled with micro-oxygenation has progressively increased over recent years, because it can reproduce the processes taking place in the barrels more economically and quickly [1]. Several studies have explored how oak alternatives [2-5] can contribute to wine composition and quality but little is known about the influence of their thickness.

Read More

MODULATION OF YEAST-DERIVED AROMA COMPOUNDS IN CHARDONNAY WINES USING ENCAPSULATED DIAMMONIUM PHOSPHATE TO CONTROL NUTRIENT RELEASE

Yeast-derived aroma compounds are the result of different and complex biochemical pathways that mainly occur during alcoholic fermentation. Many of them are related -but not limited- to the availability of nutrients in the fermentation medium and linked to nitrogen metabolism and biomass produced. Besides, the metabolic phase of yeast also regulates the expression of many enzymes involved in the formation of aroma active compounds. The work investigates the overall effect of continuous supplementation of nutrients during alcoholic fermentation of a grape must on the volatile composition of wines.

Read More

TARTARIC STABILIZATION MAY AFFECT THE COLOR AND POLYPHENOLIC COMPOSITION OF TANNAT RED WINES FROM URUGUAY

Tartrate precipitation affects the properties of wines, due to the formation of crystals that cause turbidity, even after being bottled. The forced tartaric stabilization is carried out frequently for young wines, through various physicochemical procedures. The traditional treatment for tartaric stabilization is refrigeration, but it can have a negative effect on wine’s sensory properties, and particularly on the color of red wines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different tartaric stabilization options on the color and phenolic composition of Tannat red wines from Uruguay.

Read More

SUB-CRITICAL WATER: AN ORIGINAL PROCESS TO EXTRACT ANTIOXIDANTS COMPOUNDS OF WINE LEES

Wine lees are quantitatively the second most important wine by-product after grape stems and marc [1]. In order to recycle, distilleries recovered ethanol and tartaric acid contained in wine lees but yeast biomass is often unused. It has already been demonstrated that this yeast biomass could be upcycled to produce yeast extracts of interest for wine chemical stabilization [2]. In addition, it is well known that lees, during aging, release compounds that preserve wine from oxidation.

Read More