Terroir 2016 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Sensory differences of Pinot noir wines from willamette valley subregions

Sensory differences of Pinot noir wines from willamette valley subregions

Abstract

Wines from different regions or AVAs have been found to have sensory differences, as these areas are typically located quite far apart and have dramatically different climates, soils and other terroir factors. However it is unclear if wines from different areas (sub-regions) within an AVA also show distinctive sensory characteristics. There is the thought that these areas are geographical closer and many terroir factors are more similar. The sub-regions in the Willamette Valley have some distinct differences due to soil, climate and topography. Anecdotally it is thought that wines from these sub-regions were distinctive, but differences had not been defined. Commercially available Pinot noir wines from the 2012 & 2013 vintages were evaluated for aroma and mouthfeel.

Five to six wines from each of the regions were used; Chehalem mountains, Ribbon Ridge, McMinnville, Yamhill-Carlton, Eola-Amity Hills, Dundee Hills, Heart of the Willamette and overall Willamette Valley . Wines were chosen as follows; (1) 100% of the grapes were from that sub-region, (2) wines were identified as sub-regional on the label and (3) wines were considered good examples through preliminary discussions and tastings. Experienced tasters (Pinot noir winemakers from the Willamette Valley) participated in the sensory analysis. Citation of frequency method was used to identify those sensory descriptors most important for each wine.

Sensory results were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis. Wines form the sub-regions were found to have sensory differences. Specifically some aromas that characterized the sub-regional wines included blackberry, vanilla, red jam, earthy, blueberry and fig. Mouthfeel differences were also found although descriptors used were conflicting, which may be due to some of the difficulties involved with mouthfeel characterization. The sub-regional differences from the 2 vintages varied, as the weather from 2012 and 2013 were quite different. While an overall definition of terroir differences have not yet been determined, it is quite clear from the wines in this study that sub-regional sensory differences do exist for Pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. This information is important as it helps define quality parameters for each area and can be utilized for marketing and tourism.

DOI:

Publication date: June 24, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Elizabeth Tomasino

(1) Oregon Wine Research Institute, Food Science & Technology, Oregon State University, Oregon USA

Contact the author

Keywords

Terroir, wine, viticulture, Pinot Noir, Oregon, sensory analytics, aroma compounds

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Caratterizzazione delle produzioni vitivinicole dell’area del Barolo: Un’esperienza pluridisciplinare triennale (4)

Il Nebbiolo, uno dei vitigni più rappresentativi della viticoltura piemontese. é caratterizzato da una maturazione tardiva, una elevata vigoria e una bassa fertilità basale. La sua popolazione inoltre presenta una tale variabilità morfologica che é consuetudine suddividere il vitigno in diverse sottovarietà (Lampia, Rosé, Michet, Balla per citare solo quelle dell’areale albese) ognuna con presunte distinte caratteristiche morfologiche e produttive.

Influence of SO2 and Zinc on the formation of volatile aldehydes during alcoholic fermentation

Laboratório de Análisis del Aroma y Enologia (LAAE). Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain, During alcoholic fermentation, fusel (or Strecker) aldehydes are intermediates in the amino acid catabolism to form fusel alcohols following the Ehrlich Pathway (1). One of the main enzymes involved in this pathway is Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH), whose activity is highly strain dependent and determines the rate of conversion of aldehydes into fusel alcohols (2). This enzyme has a Zn2+ catalytic binding site, which suggests that the must Zn2+ levels will most likely influence the rate of reduction of aldehydes into alcohols. On the other hand, SO2 is commonly used in winemaking for its antiseptic and antioxidant properties.

Effects of soil and climate on wine style in Stellenbosch: Sauvignon blanc

Une étude a été menée pendant neuf ans sur deux vignes non-irriguées de Sauvignon blanc commercialisés, plantées à différentes localités (A et B) dans le district de Stellenbosch. Deux parcelles expérimentales, situées sur deux formations géologiques différentes, ont été identifiées au sein de chaque vignoble. A chaque localité une des

ANTHOCYANINS EXTRACTION FROM GRAPE POMACE USING EUTECTIC SOLVENTS

Grape pomace is one of the main by-products generated after pressing in winemaking.Emerging methods, such as ultrasound-assisted extraction with eutectic mixtures, have great potential due to their low toxicity, and high biodegradability. Choline chloride (ChCl) was used as a hydrogen bond acceptor and its corresponding hydrogen bond donor (malic acid, citric acid, and glycerol: urea). Components were heated at 80 °C and stirred until a clear liquid was obtained. Distilled water was added (30 % v/v). A solid-liquid ratio of 1 g pomace per 10 ml of eutectic solvent was used.

NEW INSIGHTS INTO VOLATILE SULPHUR COMPOUNDS SCALPING ON MICROAGGLOMERATED WINE CLOSURES

The evolution of wine during bottle ageing has been of great interest to ensure consistent quality over time. While the role of wine closures on the amount of oxygen is well-known [1], closures could also play other roles such as the scalping phenomenon of flavour compounds. Flavour scalping has been described as the sorption of flavour compounds by the packaging material, which could result in losses of flavour intensity. It has been reported in the literature that volatile sulphur compounds (VSC) can be scalped on wine closures depending on the type of closure (traditional and agglomerated cork, screw-cap, synthetic [2]).