EVALUATION OF THE OENOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF NEW RESISTANT VARIETIES MEETING TYPICAL BORDEAUX CHARACTERISTICS

Changes in the low molecular weight phenolic fraction, obtained by liquid-liquid microextraction technique, were studied after controlled oxidation of two typologies of Sangiovese wines (Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico) belonging to two vintages (2017 and 2018). The fractions were characterized by LC-MS and quantified by HPLC. The most abundant extracted compounds were the phenolic acids. The effect of oxidation, vintage, and wine typology was stated by a three-ways ANOVA. Gallic and syringic acids significantly increased after oxidation while (–)-epicatechin decreased the most.

The sensory characteristics of wine are a topic studied by several researchers over time, but it continues to be a current and challenging subject. These characteristics are fundamental for the consumer acceptability, which has increasingly aroused their interest to modulate them in line with current market trends and innovation demands. The wine physical-chemical and sensory properties depend on a wide set of factors: they begin to be designed in the vineyard and are later constructed during the various stages of winemaking. Afterwards, the wine is placed in bottles and stored or commercialized.

Wine aroma analysis can be done by sensorial or instrumental analysis, the latter involving several me-thodologies based on olfactometric detection, electronic noses or gas chromatography. Gas Chromatography has been widely used for the study of the volatile composition of wines and depending on the detection system coupled to the chromatographic system, quantification and identification of individual compounds can be achieved.

Dolcetto (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the traditionally cultivated varieties in Piedmont (north-east Italy). Dolcetto wines have long been associated with local consumption and they are little known internationally. In particular, the Ovada area (south-east Piedmont), even if it represents a small share of the regional PDO Dolcetto production, is one of the oldest and vocated territory, giving wine also suitable for aging. In this study, the basic composition and phenolic content of Dolcetto grapes for Ovada DOCG wines have been investigated in three different vintages (2020-2022), as well as the main aspects of the derived commercial and experimental wines (basic parameters, phenolics, volatile compounds, sensory properties).

Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir can be challenging to manage in the winery as its thin skins require careful handling to ensure sufficient extraction of wine colour to promote colour stability during ageing.1 Literature has shown that fermentation with flocculent yeasts can increase red wine colour density.2 As consumers prefer greater colour density in red wines,3 the development of tools to increase colour density would be useful for the wine industry. This research explored the impact of interspecies sequential inoculation and co-flocculation of commercial yeast on Pinot noir wine colour.