Chemical and sensory quality, environmental sustainability, and consumer acceptance of South Tyrolean wines produced from hybrid grape varieties

Abstract

Disease-resistant hybrid grape cultivars (DRHGCs) are hybrids of Vitis vinifera varieties with other Vitis species, and they are endowed with greater resistance to specific fungal diseases, enabling a potential reduction in the application of pesticides in the vineyard. However, DRHGC wines can present unusual chemical and sensory properties, which might influence the consumer perception and their placement on the market.

This study has examined the links between the chemical and sensory properties of DRHGC red wine productions from South Tyrol (Northern Italy) by applying a combination of sensory methodologies, analytical techniques, and statistical analysis. The polyphenol and volatile profiles of DRHGCs were distinctive; for instance, the profiles of macrocyclic oligomeric proanthocyanidins were confirmed to be suitable varietal markers [1]. V. vinifera red wines were in general more astringent, with higher ‘strawberry’ and ‘jam’ aromas, than the DRHGC wines; the DRHGC wines had stronger ‘green bell pepper’ flavour and aroma. The sensory panel rated the DRHGC wines as high quality, and the V. vinifera wines were not inevitably preferred. From a sustainability point of view, the vineyard interested by DRHGC grapes production displayed a significant lower consumption of energy, while also hinting at a possible beneficial effect in terms of lower carbon emissions and lower air pollution.

Finally, the result of a survey conducted in three European countries with established DRHCG wines productions and markets are reported, to investigate the knowledge, the motivation, and willingness to pay for these products by consumers, in the frame of the added value derived from these sustainable productions.