Evaluation of aroma characteristics in Vitis amurensis grapes across different regions by using HS-SPME-GC/MS

Climate influences viticulture and wine production at various scales with the majority of attention given to regional characteristics that define the general varieties that can be grown and the wine styles that can be produced.

The study analyzes a set of open innovation actions promoted by the innovation environments of the Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), in cooperation with entities, companies in the sector and the Department of Innovation, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul.

Among the Vitis vinifera L. cv. Moscato, Moscato Bianco is the oldest and most cultivated one in Europe (1). According to the OIV Focus 2015, Italy is the country with the largest cultivated area of Moscato Bianco with about 12500 hectares (2), that is used to produce well-known wines (i.e., Moscato Passito in Piedmont, Moscato di Trani in Puglia, and Moscatello di Montalcino in Tuscany), mainly obtained from partially dehydrated grapes (1). Different dehydration techniques can strongly modify the chemical compounds of oenological interest, among which Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) (1) that are the main responsible for the varietal sensory character of the final wine.

Oxygen transfer rate (OTR) is a technical property of closure, and it modulates the oxygen supply to the wine during its bottle aging. It’s an important parameter to take into account in the analysis of wine aroma evolution. OTR distribution is well documented for new closures, but little research has been published on its determination for aged closures. Initial oxygen release after bottling impacts the composition of wines during the first years of storage), but the link between OTR, sensory perception and aroma composition after many years of aging has not yet been clearly studied. 

The production of high-quality wines requires the use of high-quality grapes. Some compounds originating from grapes may negatively influence the odour and flavour of the resulting wine in their original form or as precursors for off-odours and –flavours. Therefore, a rapid evaluation of the grapes directly upon receival at the winery is advantageous. Up to now, grape aroma is mainly evaluated by tasting, however, this leads to subjective results. The use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy allows a rapid, objective and destruction-free analysis without previous sample preparation. Moreover, the measurement can be integrated into an existing process without additional sampling.