Terroir 2016 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Malbec wines from Argentina: influence of climate on aromatic components and Organoleptic profile. Is it possible to stablish regional identities?

Malbec wines from Argentina: influence of climate on aromatic components and Organoleptic profile. Is it possible to stablish regional identities?

Abstract

Malbec grapes have been cultivated for 150 years in Argentina. In the last 20 years Argentinian Malbec wines have emerged as a commercial boom worldwide. Today Malbec is the most planted variety in Argentina, representing 17% of 226.400 ha, and stands for 54% of bottled exported wine in volume. Producers are afraid that the growth of this wine will be limited in the future if the consumers think of Malbec as one homogeneous product. The aim of this study is to determine if there are arguments to think that we can offer to the world different Malbec wines depending on the region in which they are produced.

Fanzone found differences on Malbec no volatile compounds (Fanzone et al., 2012) according to the origin of the grapes.

During the season 2015 Malbec wines were obtained using a standard protocol from grapes cultivated at  latitudes ranging from 23° to 39° south, average seasonal temperatures from 18,1°C to 21°C (Winkler-Amerine classification III to V), and elevations over sea level from 220 to 1850 meters. Grapes were picked with 24 to 24.5°Brix and elaborated in plastic bins. Corrections of SO2 and acidity, addition of yeasts and lactic-bacteria for malolactic fermentation were also standard. After natural clarification of lees, wines were bottled. Wines were characterized by a professional tasting panel (following ISO 8586 norms), aromatic compounds were measured by GCMS (Flash profile) and tiols were extracted (SPME) and measured (GCMS). Correlations between growing season average temperature (GST), flavors (measured by the tasting panel) and volatile chemical compounds were done.

As in previews studies (Jofré, V. 2011, Goldner et al., 2008), Malbec did not present a distinctive family of flavors. By contrast aromatic profile of wines results from the interaction of many families of volatile compounds. The concentration of some of them increased with GST (norisoprenoids R2=0,947, other decreased with GST (alcohols R2=0,873), while acids, terpenes, aldehydes, C6 compounds, esters did not present clear relation with GST. Molecules like 2-Phenyl ethanol (rose) and ethyl-isovalerate (apple) increases with decreasing GST (R2=0,976 and R=0,920 respectively). GST, Winkler and Huglin explained better the variations of volatile compounds than altitude, average minimum and maximum temperatures.
In the tasting Malbec’s fruity and flower flavors taken as a whole increased with decreasing GST (R2=0,79). There was a tendency on spices and wild herbs flavors to increase with GST (R2=0,69). Some differences of flavors could be related with the concentration of some compounds.
Finally Argentinian Malbec wines presented difference on taste and volatile compounds that can be explained by temperature (GST). This will permit in the future promote a pallet of Malbec wines, creating a more interesting category of wine.

DOI:

Publication date: June 24, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Leonor DEIS (1) and Martin KAISER (2)

(1) Department of Plant Physiology,Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza,Argentina
(2) Department of Terroir Research, Doña Paula, Colón 531,Ciudad, Mendoza, Argentina

Contact the author

Keywords

terroir, Argentina, climate, aromatic compounds, aromatic profile, flavor, Malbec, wine, grapevine

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Analysis of Cabernet Sauvignon and Aglianico winegrape (V. vinifera L.) responses to different pedo-climatic environments in southern Italy

Water deficit is one of the most important effects of climate change able to affect agricultural sectors. In general, it determines a reduction in biomass production, and for some plants, as in the case of grapevine, it can endorse fruit quality. The monitoring and management of plant water stress in the vineyard

Rootstock regulation of scion phenotypes: the relationship between rootstock parentage and petiole mineral concentration

Grapevine is grown as a graft since the end of the 19th century. Rootstocks not only provide tolerance to Phylloxera but also ensure the supply of water and mineral nutrients to the scion. Rootstocks are an important mean of adaptation to environmental conditions, because the scion controls the typical features of the grapes and wine. However, among the large diversity of rootstocks worldwide, few of them are commercially used in the vineyard. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which rootstocks modify the mineral composition of the petioles of the scion. Vitis vinifera cvs. Cabernet-Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Syrah and Ugni blanc were grafted onto 55 different rootstock genotypes and planted in a vineyard as three replicates of 5 vines. Petioles were collected in the cluster zone with 6 replicates per combination. Petiolar concentrations of 13 mineral elements (N, P, K, S, Mg, Ca, Na, B, Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu, Al) at veraison were determined. Scion, rootstock and the interaction explained the same proportion of the phenotypic variance for most mineral elements. Rootstock genotype showed a significant influence on the petiole mineral element composition. Rootstock effect explained from 7 % for Cu to 25 % for S of the variance. The difference of rootstock conferred mineral status is discussed in relation to vigor and fertility. Rootstocks were also genotyped with 23 microsatellite markers. Data were analysed according to genetic groups in order to determine whether the petiole mineral composition could be related to the genetic parentage of the rootstock. Thanks to a highly powerful design, it is the first time that such a large panel of rootstocks grafted with 4 scions has been studied. These results give the opportunity to better characterize the rootstocks and to enlarge the diversity used in the vineyard.

A predictive model of spatial Eca variability in the vineyard to support the monitoring of plant status

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

1H-NMR-based Metabolomics to assess the impact of soil type on the chemical composition of Mediterranean red wines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different soil types on the chemical composition of Mediterranean red wines, through untargeted and targeted 1H-NMR metabolomics. One milliliter of raw wine was analyzed by means of a Bruker Avance II 400 spectrometer operating at 400.15 MHz. The spectra were recorded by applying the NOESYGPPS1D pulse sequency, to achieve water and ethanol signals suppression. No modification of the pH was performed to avoid any chemical alteration of the matrix. The generation of input variables for untargeted analysis was done via bucketing the spectra. The resulting dataset was preprocessed prior to perform unsupervised PCA, by means of MetaboAnalyst web-based tool suite. The identification of compounds for the targeted analysis was performed by comparison to pure compounds spectra by means of SMA plug-in of MNova 14.2.3 software. The dataset containing the concentrations (%) of identified compounds was subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to highlight significant differences among the wines. The untargeted analysis, carried out through the PCA, revealed a clear differentiation among the wines. The fragments of the spectra contributing mostly to the separation were attributed to flavonoids, aroma compounds and amino acids. The targeted analysis leaded to the identification of 68 compounds, whose concentrations were significant different among the wines. The results were related to soils physical-chemical analysis and showed that: 1) high concentrations of flavan-3-ols and flavonols are correlated with high clay content in soils; 2) high concentrations of anthocyanins, amino acids, and aroma compounds are correlated with neutral and moderately alkaline soil pH; 3) low concentrations of flavonoids and aroma compounds are correlated with high soil organic matter content and acidic pH. The 1H-NMR metabolomic analysis proved to be an excellent tool to discriminate between wines originating from grapes grown on different soil types and revealed that soils in the Mediterranean area exert a strong impact on the chemical composition of the wines.

Updating the Winkler index: An analysis of Cabernet sauvignon in Napa Valley’s varied and changing climate

This study aims to create an updated, agile viticultural climate index (similar to the Winkler Index) by performing in-depth analyses of current and historical data from industry partners in several major winegrowing regions. The Winkler Index was developed in the early twentieth century based on analysis of various grape-growing regions in California. The index uses heat accumulation (i.e. Growing Degree Days) throughout the growing season to determine which grape varieties are best suited to each region. As viticultural regions are increasingly subject to the complexity and uncertainty of a changing climate, a more rigorous, agile model is needed to aid grape growers in determining which cultivars to plant where. For the first phase of this study, 21 industry partners throughout Napa Valley shared historical phenology, harvest, viticultural practice, and weather data related to their Cabernet sauvignon vineyard blocks. To complement this data, berry samples were collected throughout the 2021 growing season from 50 vineyard blocks located throughout 16 American Viticultural Areas that were then analyzed for basic berry chemistry and phenolics. These blocks have been mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS), enabling analysis of altitude, vineyard row orientation, slope, and remotely sensed climate data. Sampling sites were also chosen based on their proximity to a weather station. By analyzing historical data from industry partners and data specifically collected for this study, it is possible to identify key parameters for further analysis. Initial results indicate extreme variability at a high spatial resolution not currently accounted for in modern viticultural climate indices and suggest that viticultural practices play a major role. Using the structure of data collection and analyses developed for the first phase, this project will soon be expanded to other wine regions globally, while continuing data collection in Napa Valley.