Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 From precursor identification to the study of the distribution of 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione in red wines and spirits

From precursor identification to the study of the distribution of 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione in red wines and spirits

Abstract

Prematurely aged red wines are marked by intense prune and fig aromatic nuances that dominate the complex bouquet that can be achieved through bottle aging. This oxidation off-flavor is, in part, caused by the presence of 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione (MND).1 It is interesting to note that similar aromas are also detected in aged spirits. Despite its strong sensory impact in red wines, the precursors of this diketone were not well described.

So, first investigations were performed in order to quantify this compound in young and aged spirits in order to explain these nuances. In addition, determination of MND precursors in red wines as well as the study of oxidation mechanisms on their evolutions will improve our ability to understand its formation pathway in alcoholic beverages.

The first step of this work aimed at identifying a precursor of MND in grapes and wines. Based on the MND distribution in grapes, in young and old wines we hypothesized that ketols might be precursors of this diketone. We describe the chemical synthesis of 2-hydroxy-3-methylnonan-4-one (syn- and anti-ketol) as well as their identification in wines. MND and ketols were quantified by SPME-GC-MS (CI, MeOH) using SIS and MS/MS mode, respectively, in more than 150 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California, Bordeaux, and Switzerland. Oxidation experiments conducted in model wine and red wine demonstrated that ketols are able to produce MND. Based on these data, their role as MND precursor will be discussed. In addition, we also report first results concerning the origin of ketols in grapes and wines.

We also extended our investigations to spirits were old samples can develop similar dried plum aromas. We also report for the first time the distribution of MND in many spirits including Cognac, Armagnac, Brandy, Bourbon, Grappa, Rhum, Whisky. Highest levels were found in grappa (> 10 000 ng/L), exceeding its detection thresholds (100 ng/L). Sensory analysis experiments revealed that this compound contributes to the aroma of spirits. Assay of ketols in these samples revealed that they can be precursors of MND in spirits.

This project has improved our understanding of the formation and evolution of MND in wines, enabling more accurate predictions of the oxidative behavior and aging potential of red wines. In addition, we describe its first identification as well as its sensory impact in spirits

DOI:

Publication date: September 14, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Alexandre PONS

Université Bordeaux, ISVV, EA 4577, Unité de Recherche Œnologie, F-33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France, Seguin Moreau Cooperage, ZI Merpins, 16103 Cognac, France. Ana PETERSON, Université Bordeaux, ISVV, EA 4577, Unité de Recherche Œnologie, F-33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France. Fannie THIBAUD, Université Bordeaux, ISVV, EA 4577, Unité de Recherche Œnologie, F-33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France. Jean Charles MATHURIN, E. Rémy Martin & C°, Z.I, 16100 Merpins, France. Yannick LANDAIS, Université Bordeaux, ISM, CNRS UMR 5255, Talence, France. Philippe DARRIET, Université Bordeaux, ISVV, EA 4577, Unité de Recherche Œnologie, F-33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France. INRA, ISVV, USC 1366, Unité de Recherche Œnologie, F-33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France

Contact the author

Keywords

aging, red wines, oxidation, aroma, spirits, aroma precursor

Citation

Related articles…

Upscaling the integrated terroir zoning through digital soil mapping: a case study in the Designation of Origin Campo de Borja

homogeneous zones by intersecting several partial zonings of major factors that influence vineyard growth. Each of them follows specific process from their corresponding disciplines. Soil zoning specifically refers to a Soil Resource Inventory map that has traditionally been generated by conventional soil mapping methods. These methods have shortcomings in reaching fine cartographic and categorical details and involve significant expenses, which undermines their applicability. A new framework named Digital Soil Mapping has introduced quantitative models by statistical techniques to establish soil-landscape relationships and is able to provide intensive scale cartography.

In the present study, a microzoning at 1:10.000 scale is generated from an initial zoning, where the conventional soil map with polytaxic map units is replaced by a new one from digital techniques that disaggregates them. The comparison between the zonings considers a quantitative evaluation of capability for each Homogeneous Terroir Unit by means of the Viticultural Quality Index and its categorization based on its distribution by map. The spatial intersection of both maps gives rise to a confusion matrix in which the flows of class variations after the substitution are assessed.

The results show a five-fold increase in the number of Homogeneous Terroir Units identified and a larger differentiation among them, evidenced by a wider range in the capability index distribution. Both elements are accompanied by an increase in the detection of areas of higher potential within previously undervalued uniform zones.These features are a direct effect of the improvements brought by Digital Soil Mapping techniques and would verify the advantages of their implementation in the Integrated Terroir zoning. Eventually, such new highly detailed terroir units would benefit precision viticulture and sustainable management practices.

Legacy of land-cover changes on soil erosion and microbiology in Burgundian vineyards

Soils in vineyards are recognized as complex agrosystems whose characteristics reflect complex interactions between natural factors (lithology, climate, slope, biodiversity) and human activities. To date, most of the unknown lies in an incomplete understanding of soil ecosystems, and specifically in the microbial biodiversity even though soil microbiota is involved in many key functions, such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. Soil biological properties are indicative of soil quality. Therefore, understanding how soil communities are related to soil ecosystem functioning is becoming an essential issue for soil strategy conservation. Here, we propose to assess the importance of land-cover history on the present-day microbiological and physico-chemical properties. The studied area was selected in the Burgundian vineyards (Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy, France) where land occupation has been reconstructed over the last 40 years. Soil samples were collected in five areas reflecting various land cover history (forest, vineyards, shifting from forest to vineyards). For each area, physico-chemical parameters (pH, C, N, P, grain size) were measured and DNA was extracted to characterize the abundance and diversity of microbial communities. The obtained results show significant differences in the five areas suggesting that present-day microbial molecular biomass and bacterial taxonomic is partly inherited from past land occupation. Over longer period of time, such study of land-uses legacies may help to better assess ecosystem recovery and the impact of management practices for a better soil quality and vineyards sustainability.

Current climate change in the Oplenac wine-growing district (Serbia)

Serbian autochthonous vine varieties Smederevka (for white wines) and Prokupac (for rosé and red wines) are the primary representatives of typical characteristics of wines and terroir of numerous wine-growing areas in Serbia. In the past, these varieties were the leading vine varieties, however, as the result of globalization of winemaking and the trend of consumption of wines from widely prevalent vine varieties, they were replaced by introduced international varieties. Smederevka and Prokupac vine varieties are characterized by later time of grape ripening, and relative sensitivity to low temperatures. Climate conditions can be a restrictive factor for production of high-quality grapes and wine and for the spatial spreading of these varieties in hilly continental wine-growing areas.
This paper focuses on the spatial analysis of changes of main climate parameters, in particular, analysis of viticultural bioclimatic indices that were determined for the purposes of viticulture zoning of wine-growing areas in the period 1961-2010, and those same parameters determined for the current, that is, referential climate period (1988-2017). Results of the research, that is, analysis of climate changes indicate that the majority of examined climate parameters in the Oplenac wine-growing district improved from the perspective of Smederevka and Prokupac vine varieties. These studies of climate conditions indicate that changes of analyzed climate parameters, that is, bioclimatic indices will be favorable for cultivation of varieties with later grape ripening times and those more sensitive to low temperatures, such as the autochthonous vine varieties Smederevka and Prokupac, therefore, it is recommended to producers to more actively plant vineyards with these varieties in the territory of the Oplenac wine-growing district.

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).

The rootstock, the neglected player in the scion transpiration even during the night

Water is the main limiting factor for yield in viticulture. Improving drought adaptation in viticulture will be an increasingly important issue under climate change. Genetic variability of water deficit responses in grapevine partly results from the rootstocks, making them an attractive and relevant mean to achieve adaptation without changing the scion genotype. The objective of this work was to characterize the rootstock effect on the diurnal regulation of scion transpiration. A large panel of 55 commercial genotypes were grafted onto Cabernet Sauvignon. Three biological repetitions per genotype were analyzed. Potted plants were phenotyped on a greenhouse balance platform capable of assessing real-time water use and maintaining a targeted water deficit intensity. After a 10 days well-watered baseline period, an increasing water deficit was applied for 10 days, followed by a stable water deficit stress for 7 days. Pruning weight, root and aerial dry weight and transpiration were recorded and the experiment was repeated during two years. Transpiration efficiency (ratio between aerial biomass and transpiration) was calculated and δ13C was measured in leaves for the baseline and stable water deficit periods. A large genetic variability was observed within the panel. The rootstock had a significant impact on nocturnal transpiration which was also strongly and positively correlated with maximum daytime transpiration. The correlations with growth and water use efficiency related traits will be discussed. Transpiration data were also related with VPD and soil water content demonstrating the influence of environmental conditions on transpiration. These results highlighted the role of the rootstock in modulating water deficit responses and give insights for rootstock breeding programs aimed at identifying drought tolerant rootstocks. It was also helpful to better define the mechanisms on which the drought tolerance in grapevine rootstocks is based on.