Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Macrowine 9 Macrowine 2021 9 Grapevine diversity and viticultural practices for sustainable grape growing 9 Chemical composition of cool-climate Sauvignon blanc grape skins clones during ripening

Chemical composition of cool-climate Sauvignon blanc grape skins clones during ripening

Abstract

AIM: Sauvignon blanc is the most important variety in cool valleys in central Chile accounting 15,522 ha which corresponds to 42.4% of the cultivated surface with white varieties in Chile (SAG, 2019). Casablanca Valley, one of the most important area for the production of white wines in Chile is located approximately to 35-40 km from the Pacific Ocean. Still, geographical area and the clone utilized could be decisive for the chemical and sensory characteristics of this type of wine (Duchene et al., 2009; Green et al., 2011), both during ripening and during ageing of wine. For this reason, the aim of this work is to study the concentration and composition of phenolic compounds and organic acids throughout ripening in grape skins of Sauvignon blanc clones grown in two zones of Casablanca Valley.

METHODS: Sauvignon blanc clones 242, 1 Davis and 107 grown in two zones of the Casablanca Valley, central zone of Chile were chosen. The grape berries were sampled every 15 days from veraison until commercial harvest, using a completely randomized design with five replicates in each selected vineyard. The following chemical analyses were assessed: titratable acidity, total soluble solids, total phenols, CIELab coordinates, low molecular weight phenolic profile and organic acids using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-DAD).

RESULTS: As expected, titratable acidity diminished during ripening while total soluble solids and pH increased in all clones. Total phenols decreased in all clones during ripening, with significant differences in their concentration between the two geographical zones. Low molecular weight phenolic compounds showed differences in concentration between Sauvignon blanc clones and geographical origin showed that the grapes grown in the zone more closed to the Pacific Ocean had a higher concentration of flavonols, while organic acids differed in concentration but not in composition between clones and geographical origin.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed differences in concentration on some chemical parameters between Sauvignon blanc clones that depends on the geographical origin, while its composition remains similar.

DOI:

Publication date: September 2, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Alejandro Cáceres

Faculty of Agronomic and Food Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile.,Pierina Peirano Faculty of Agronomic and Food Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile.

Contact the author

Keywords

Sauvignon blanc, flavonols, organic acids, cool-climate wines

Citation

Related articles…

The role of climate/soil of different zones/terroirs on grape characteristics

According to the different concern of the ‘traditional’ and the ‘new’ wine-producing Countries, a variable importance is recognized to the climate/soil and to grapevine cultivars as factors affecting the wine quality. However, the viticultural experience can state that, within each area, climate and soil plays an incontestable role in affecting grape quality, and consequently wine quality, as well as the genetic characteristics of the cultivar.

Zoning methods in relation to the plant

The characterization of the plant is the obliged pathway between the environment and the product. The responses of the plant amplify or reduce the variations of the environment, while determining directly the type and the quality of the products. These results are inscribed inside the Viticultural Terroir Unit (VTU). VTU is the complex interaction between the Basic Terroir Unit or BTU (interaction mesoclimate x soil/subsoil), the genotype (variety x rootstock), the management system, the oenological technologies. Thus, at the most complex level, a global biological triptych is found again : environment (source) x plant (structure) = produced and exchanged substances.

Specificities of red wines without sulfites: which role for acetaldehyde and diacetyl? A compositional and sensory approach.

Sulfur dioxide is the most commonly used additive in oenology to protect wine from oxidation and microorganisms. Once added to wine SO2 is able to react with carbonyl compounds to form carbonyl bisulfites what affects their reactivity.

Rationalizing The Wine Nucleophilic Competition For Quinone Addition

loss and color browning which lead to wine unacceptance by consumers. These changes are mainly driven by the consumption of oxygen by polyphenols leading to the production of quinones which are oxidant compounds. Quinones can react with numerous nucleophilic compounds notably aromatic thiols, decreasing the aromatic bouquet of the wine.

RED WINE AGING WITHOUT SO₂: WHAT IMPACT ON MICROBIAL COMMUNITY?

Nowadays, the use of food preservatives is controversial, SO2 being no exception. Microbial communities have been particularly studied during the prefermentary and fermentation stages in a context of without added SO2. However, microbial risks associated with SO2 reduction or absence, particularly during the wine aging process, have so far been little studied. The microbiological control of wine aging is a key issue for winemakers wishing to produce wines without added SO2. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of different wine aging strategies according to the addition or not of SO2 on the microbiological population levels and diversity.