Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Influence of the different cork stoppers and sulfur dose in champagne quality

Influence of the different cork stoppers and sulfur dose in champagne quality

Abstract

As is well known, Champagne is a product of the highest quality recognized in the international market. Champagne is a type of sparkling wine made in the Champagne region (France) using the traditional method of champenoise. Aging in the bottle is the final stage before being consumed, and it is considered a time of maturation in which many chemical and sensory changes occur (1). In addition, the stoppers have a very important influence on the quality of the product during bottle aging (2). Today there are different types of corks with different types of oxygen permeabilities (3). This oxygen transfer rate (OTR) through the cork can cause changes in the color, in the aromatic composition and in the organoleptic sensations of the Champagne, causing a loss of its quality (3, 4). For all these reasons, the main objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of different types of cork stoppers in Champagne with different doses of sulfur (added in bottling) for a year. To carry out the study, five types of corks (C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5) with increasing OTRs values and the control with sheet metal closure (Control), and three different doses of sulfur (0, 10 and 20 mg/L) were used. Of all of them, the basic parameters, color and Cielab coordinates, CO2 pressure, aromatic composition (fermentative, oxidative and reduction aromas), and sensory analysis were analyzed at each of the four sampling points. The analysis times were after bottling (T0) and after 3, 6, 12 months of aging in the bottle (T3, T6, T12). The results showed that the parameter ‘time’ was the main factor in producing differences between the samples, followed by the doses of sulfur and type of cork. In general, the basic parameters of champagne did not show significant differences except for total sulfur content. In general, the color, the CO2 parameters and especially the aromatic composition changed over time, showing the main changes after 12 months in the bottle. The fermentation aromas were decreasing, and the oxidation and reduction aromas were increasing over time. The samples with the highest dose of sulfur (20 mg/L) were less evolved, however they showed greater reductions. In addition, C5 and C3 corks with were the corks that best preserved Champagne in relation to the preservation of fermentative aromas, and in achieving a better balance between oxidation-reduction conditions, after 12 months of aging. However, the C2 was the cork that had the worst preservation of fermentative aromas and the greatest oxidation caused the Champagne. Finally, the sensory analysis on time 12 months corroborated analytics, the best valued Champagne being those closed with C3 and C5 corks, and the worst with C2. Therefore, a good choice about the type of cork and the dose of sulfur in bottling can prolong its optimal moment of consumption in time, while preserving its quality.

DOI:

Publication date: September 14, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Ana Maria Mislata 

1. VITEC – Centre Tecnològic del Vi, Ctra. Porrera Km 1, 43730 Falset (Tarragona), Spain 2. Instrumental Sensometry (i-Sens), Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic  Chemistry, Campus Sescelades, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, 43007, Spain ,Michelle Rodríguez 2; Christophe Loisel 3; Miquel Puxeu 1; Enric Nart 1; Sergi De Lamo 1; Montserrat Mestres 2 and Raúl Ferrer-Gallego 1  1. VITEC – Centre Tecnològic del Vi, Ctra. Porrera Km.1, 43730 Falset (Tarragona), Spain 2. Instrumental Sensometry (i-Sens), Department of Analytical Chemistry and Organic  Chemistry, Campus Sescelades, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, 43007, Spain 3. DIAM Bouchage SAS-Espace Tech Ulrich, 66400 Ceret, France

Contact the author

Keywords

champagne, corks, sulfurous, otr, color, aromatic compounds, sensory analysis

Citation

Related articles…

VINIoT – Precision viticulture service

The project VINIoT pursues the creation of a new technological vineyard monitoring service, which will allow companies in the wine sector in the SUDOE space to monitor plantations in real time and remotely at various levels of precision. The system is based on spectral images and an IoT architecture that allows assessing parameters of interest viticulture and the collection of data at a precise scale (level of grape, plant, plot or vineyard) will be designed. In France, three subjects were specifically developed: evaluation of maturity, of water stress, and detection of flavescence dorée. For the evaluation of maturity, it has been decided first to work at the berry scale in the laboratory, then at the bunch scale and finally in the vineyard. The acquisition of the spectral hyperstal image as well as the reference analyzes to measure the maturity, were carried out in the laboratory after harvesting the berries in a maturity monitoring context. This work focuses on a case study to predict sugar content of three different grape varieties: Syrah, Fer Servadou and Mauzac. A robust method called Roboost-PLSR, developed in the framework of this work (Courand et al., 2022), to improve prediction model performance was applied on spectra after the acquirement of hyperspectral images. Regarding the evaluation of water stress, to work with a significant variability in terms of water status, it has been worked first with potted plants under 2 different water regimes. The facilities have allowed the supervision of irrigation and micro-climatic conditions. The regression models on agronomic variables (stomatal conductance, water potential, …) are studied. To detect flavescence dorée, the experimental plan has consisted of work at leaf scale in the laboratory first, and then in the field. To detect the disease from hyper-spectral imaging, a combination of multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) and factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) was proposed. This strategy proved the potential towards the discrimination of healthy and infected leaves by flavescence dorée based on the use of hyperspectral images (Mas Garcia et al., 2021).

Photoselective shade films affect grapevine berry secondary metabolism and wine composition

Grapevine physiology and production are challenged by forecasted increases in temperature and water deficits. Within this scenario, photoselective overhead shade films are promising tools in warm viticulture areas to overcome climate change related factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vulnerability of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape berry to solar radiation overexposure and optimize shade film use for berry integrity. A randomized complete block design field study was conducted across two years (2020-2021) in Oakville, Napa Valley, CA, with four shade films (D1, D3, D4, D5) differing in the percent of radiation spectra transmitted and compared to an uncovered control (C0). Integrals for gas exchange parameters and mid-day stem water potential were unaffected by the shade films in 2020 and 2021. By harvest, berries from uncovered and shaded vines did not differ in their size or primary metabolism in either year. Despite precipitation exclusion during the dormant season in the shaded treatments, yield did not differ between them and the control in either season. In 2020, total skin anthocyanins (mg/g fresh mass) in the shaded treatments was greater than C0 during berry ripening and at harvest. Conversely, flavonol concentrations in 2020 were reduced in shaded vines compared to C0. The 2020 growing season highlighted the impact of heat degradation on flavonoids. Flavonoid concentrations in 2021 increased until harvest while flavonoid degradation was apparent from veraison to harvest in 2020 across shaded and control vines. Wine analyses highlighted the importance of light spectra to modify wine composition. Wine color intensity, tonality and anthocyanin values were enhanced in D4 whereas antioxidant properties were enhanced in C0 and D5 wines. Altogether, our results highlighted the need of new approaches in warm viticulture areas given the impact that composition of light has on berry and wine quality.

Modeling island and coastal vineyards potential in the context of climate change

Climate change impacts regional and local climates, which in turn affects the world’s wine regions. In the short term, these modifications rises issues about maintaining quality and style of wine, and in a longer term about the suitability of grape varieties and the sustainability of traditional wine regions. Thus, adaptation to climate change represents a major challenge for viticulture. In this context, island and coastal vineyards could become coveted areas due to their specific climatic conditions. In regions subject to warming, the proximity of the sea can moderate extremes temperatures, which could be an advantage for wine. However, coastal and island areas are particular prized spaces and subject to multiple pressures that make the establishment or extension of viticulture complex.
In this perspective, it seems relevant to assess the potentialities of coastal and island areas for viticulture. This contribution will present a spatial optimization model that tends to characterize most suitable agroclimatic patterns in historical or emerging vineyards according to different scenarios. Thanks to an in-depth bibliography a global inventory of coastal and insular vineyards on a worldwide scale has been realized. Relevant criteria have been identified to describe the specificities of these vineyards. They are used as input data in the optimization process, which will optimize some objectives and spatial aspects. According to a predefined scenario, the objectives are set in three main categories associated with climatic characteristics, vineyards characteristics and management strategies. At the end of this optimization process, a series of maps presents the different spatial configurations that maximize the scenario objectives.

Downscaling of remote sensing time series: thermal zone classification approach in Gironde region

In viticulture, the challenges of local climate modelling are multiple: taking into account the local environment, fine temporal and spatial scales, reliable time series of climate data, ease of implementation and reproducibility of the method. At the local scale, recent studies have demonstrated the contribution of spatialization methods for ground-based climate observation data considering topographic factors such as altitude, slope, aspect, and geographic coordinates (Le Roux et al, 2017; De Rességuier et al, 2020). However, these studies have shown questions in terms of the reproducibility and sustainability of this type of climate study. In this context, we evaluated the potential of MODIS thermal satellite images validated with ground-based climate data (Morin et al, 2020). Previous studies have been encouraging, but questions remain to be explored at the regional scale, particularly in the dynamics of the massive use of bioclimatic indices to classify the climate of wine regions. The results at the local scale were encouraging, but this approach was tested in the current study at the regional scale. Several objectives were set: 1) to evaluate the downscaling method for land surface temperature time series, 2) to identify regional thermal structure variations. We used weekly minimum and maximum surface temperature time series acquired by MODIS satellites at a spatial resolution of 1000 m and downscaled at 500 m using topographical variables. Two types of analyses were performed:

Assessing the relationship between cordon strangulation, dieback, and fungal trunk disease symptom expression

Grapevine trunk diseases including Eutypa dieback are a major factor in the decline of vineyards and may lead to loss of productivity, reduced income, and premature reworking or replanting. Several studies have yielded results indicating that vines may be more likely to express symptoms of vascular disease if their health is already compromised by stress. In Australia and many other wine-growing regions it is a common practice for canes to be wrapped tightly around the cordon wire during the establishment of permanent cordon arms. It is likely that this practice may have a negative effect on health and longevity, as older cordons that have been trained in this manner often display signs of decay and dieback, with the wire often visibly embedded within the wood of the cordon. It is possible that adopting a training method which avoids constriction of the vasculature of the cordon may help to limit the onset of vascular disease symptom expression. A survey was conducted during the spring of two consecutive growing seasons on vineyards in South Australia displaying symptoms of Eutypa lata infection when symptomless shoots were 50–100 cm long. Vines were assessed as follows: (i) the proportion of cordon exhibiting dieback was rated using a 0–100% scale; (ii) the proportion of canopy exhibiting foliar symptoms of Eutypa dieback was rated using a 0–100% scale; (iii) the severity of strangulation was rated using a 0–4 point scale. Images were also taken of each vine for the purpose of measuring plant area index (PAI) using the VitiCanopy App. The goal of the survey was to determine if and to what extent any correlation exists between severity of strangulation and cordon dieback, in addition to Eutypa dieback foliar symptom expression.