terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 CHEMICAL DRIVERS OF POSITIVE REDUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND CHARDONNAY WINES

CHEMICAL DRIVERS OF POSITIVE REDUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND CHARDONNAY WINES

Abstract

According to winemakers, wine experts and sommeliers, aromas of wet stone, mineral, struck match and flint in white wines styles, such as those produced from Vitis vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay, are considered to be hallmarks of positive reduction.1,2 In recent years, the production of Chardonnay styles defined by aroma characteristics related to positive reduction has become more desirable among wine experts and consumers. The chemical basis of positive reduction is thought to originate from the concentration of specific volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), including methanethiol (MeSH) imparting mineral and chalk notes,3 and benzenemethanethiol (BMT) responsible for struck match and flint.1,4 However, the role of other aroma compounds, including esters, higher alcohols, and other VSCs, and their contribution to the sensory perception of positive reduction in New Zealand (NZ) Chardonnay wines has not been fully investigated. We selected 12 commercial NZ Chardonnay wines to represent a range of styles from low to high intensities of mineral and flint. Wine aroma profiles were analysed using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was performed on the same wines using a trained panel. Wines varied greatly in both their chemical and sensorial characteristics. Multivariate analysis showed that there were several key VSCs found to be explanatory variables driving the perception of attributes related to positive reduction in the NZ Chardonnay wines. These results will be presented in the context of winemaking techniques that can be applied by the industry to achieve Chardonnay styles with positive reduction, if desired by the winemaker.

 

1. Tominaga, T.; Guimbertau, G.; Dubourdieu, D. Contribution of Benzenemethanethiol to Smoky Aroma of Certain Vitis Vinifera 
L. Wines. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2003, 51 (5), 1373–1376. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf020756c.
2. Malfeito-Ferreira, M. Wine Minerality and Funkiness: Blending the Two Tales of the Same Story. Fermentation 2022, 8 (12). https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8120745.
3. Rodrigues, H.; Sáenz-Navajas, M.-P.; Franco-Luesma, E.; Valentin, D.; Fernández-Zurbano, P.; Ferreira, V.; De La Fuente Blanco, A.; Ballester, J. Sensory and Chemical Drivers of Wine Minerality Aroma: An Application to Chablis Wines. Food Chem. 2017, 230, 553–562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.03.036.
4. Capone, D. L.; Barker, A.; Williamson, P. O.; Francis, I. L. The Role of Potent Thiols in Chardonnay Wine Aroma. Aust. J. Grape Wine Res. 2018, 24 (1), 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajgw.12294.

DOI:

Publication date: February 9, 2024

Issue: OENO Macrowine 2023

Type: Poster

Authors

Rebecca C.Deed1, Daisy Zhang¹, Jennifer R. Muhl², Mathilde Derycke²

1. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland
2. School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland

Contact the author*

Keywords

Chardonnay, Flint, Mineral, Volatile Sulfur Compounds

Tags

IVES Conference Series | oeno macrowine 2023 | oeno-macrowine

Citation

Related articles…

ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION DRIVES THE SELECTION OF OENOCOCCUS OENI STRAINS IN WINE

Oenococcus oeni is the predominant lactic acid bacteria species in wine and cider, where it performs the malolactic fermentation (MLF) (Lonvaud-Funel, 1999). The O. oeni strains analyzed to date form four major genetic lineages named phylogroups A, B, C and D (Lorentzen et al., 2019). Most of the strains isolated from wine, cider, or kombucha belong to phylogroups A, B+C, and D, respectively, although B and C strains were also detected in wine (Campbell-Sills et al., 2015; Coton et al., 2017; Lorentzen et al., 2019;

EXPLORING THE METABOLIC AND PHENOTYPIC DIVERSITY OF INDIGENOUS YEASTS ISOLATED FROM GREEK WINE

Climate change leads to even more hostile and stressful for the wine microorganism conditions and consequently issues with fermentation rate progression and off-character formation are frequently observed. The objective of the current research was to classify a great collection of yeast isolates from Greek wines based on their technological properties with oenological interest. Towards this direction, fourteen spontaneously fermented wines from different regions of Greece were collected for further yeast typing. The yeast isolates were subjected in molecular analyses and identification at species level.

HOW TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF NATURAL WINES?

The movement of Natural wines has clearly increased in the last few years, to reach a high demand from consumers nowadays. Switzerland has not been left out of this movement and has created a dedicated association in 2021. This association has the ambition to develop a specific tasting sheet for natural wines. The study of the tasting notes shows that the olfactory description of wines is recent but predominant today. But wine is a product makes to be drunk and not (just) to smell it. Based on these findings, a new 100-point tasting sheet has been developed. The main characteristics are 1) an evaluation in the mouth before the description of the olfaction, 2) to give 50% of the points on the judgment for the mouth characteristics, 3) to pejorate the visual aspects only if the wine is judged as “not drinkable” and 4) to express personal emotions.

S. CEREVISIAE AND O. ŒNI BIOFILMS FOR CONTINUOUS ALCOHOLIC AND MALOLACTIC FERMENTATIONS IN WINEMAKING

Biofilms are sessile microbial communities whose lifestyle confers specific properties. They can be defined as a structured community of bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymeric matrix and adherent to a surface and considered as a method of immobilisation. Immobilised microorganisms offer many advantages for industrial processes in the production of alcoholic beverages and specially increasing cell densities for a better management of fermentation rates.

INFLUENCE OF THE NITROGEN / LIPIDS RATIO OF MUSTS ON THE REVELATION OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS IN SAUVIGNON BLANC WINE

Production of volatile compounds by yeast is known to be modulated by must nitrogen. Nevertheless, various parameter of must quality have an impact on yeast fermentation. In this study we propose to evaluate the impact of nitrogen / lipids balance on a Sauvignon Blanc grape juice (Val de Loire).
Must was prepared from the same grapes at pilot scale. Three modalities were carried out: direct pressing, direct pressing with a pre-fermentation cold stabulation and pellicular maceration before pressing.