Pruning vine-shoots as a new enological additive to differentiate and improve the quality of wines

Abstract

AIM:The objective of these work was to demonstrate that toasted fragments of pruning vine-shoots added to the wines after fermentation provide them with differentiated aromatic notes and improve their quality.

METHODS:Vine-shoots of the Tempranillo red variety were prepared in terms of size and type of toasting. Subsequently, they were added in different doses to the finished wine elaborated with grapes of the same variety and were macerated for up to 2 months, studying the evolution of the chemical and sensory profile. The wines with the best sensory profile were bottled and the study of their evolution was continued for 1 year. The parameters analyzed were the conventional enological ones, the phenolic composition by HPLC-DAD and the volatile composition by SBSE-GC-MS. The sensory analysis was carried out by a panel of 7 expert tasters and the visual, olfactory and taste phases were evaluated using a score from 1 (lowest perception) to 10 (highest perception) for each of the different attributes evaluated.

RESULTS:In all cases, an increase in aromatic notes related to dried fruits, a lower presence of drying and bitter tannins, as well as a decrease in bluish colors, fruity notes and herbaceous character were detected. The conventional chemical analysis was similar than the control wines while the results of the phenolic and aromatic compounds were consistent with the sensory analysis.

CONCLUSIONS:

The toasted fragments of pruning vine-shoots, considered until now as a viticulture residue, can be used as a new enological tool, as they are able to differentiate and improve the quality of the wines. This fact contributes to the sustainability of the vineyard and to the concept of circular viticulture.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

This study was supported by USARVID019 Project (Ref.: IDI-20190844), financed by Pago de la Jaraba winery (Albacete, Spain) through the FEDER and CDTI entities.