Chemometric profiling of Pinot noir wine from south tyrol as a tool to reach wine style goals

Abstract

AIM: Pinot Noir (PN) wines produced in South Tyrol were profiled with the aim to provide guidelines for the oenologist to reach specific winemaking goals in terms of typicity and quality. Different variables were considered to understand how they may influence the quality of the wine: vineyard position, altitude, vinification techniques, and storage conditions.

METHODS: A local winery produced 13 different PN (6 vineyards) (scheme below) in 2019 plus other control wines in 2020. Volatile compounds (GCxGC-ToF/MS) and polar compounds (HPLC DAD-FLD and offline LC-QqQ/MS) were determined. Multivariate and univariate statistical analyses were applied to understand which compounds are the most affected by the different winemaking techniques.

RESULTS: The effect on non-volatile phenols, anthocyanins, and aroma compounds were analysed to evaluate the quality and the typicity of PN of South Tyrol. Anthocyanins allowed to differentiate the vinifications. The most intense volatile compounds were ethyl ester, furfural, and other minor compounds, as evidenced by statistical analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of chitosan in the vineyard and freezing of the grapes before pressing influenced the most the profile of polyphenols and anthocyanins in wines obtained from grapes harvested in the same vineyard. The present results suggest that similar effects can be observed for volatile compounds