Volatile compounds of base wines for the production of Lessini Durello sparkling wine

Abstract

AIM: Durello is a sparkling wine produced in the Lessini mountains near Verona. The wine is made from Durella grapes, a native white grape variety with a particularly high acidity. In spite of the small production area (375 ha for only 35 producers), there is a growing interest in this product. However, little is known about the aromatic profiles of these wines. The aim of this work was to characterize the aroma profile of Durella base wines suitable for the production of Lessini Durello sparkling wine.

METHODS: 14 base wines from Durella grapesfrom different producers were used for this study. Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) and Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) sampling techniques coupled to GC-MS analysis allowed to identify and quantify a total of 62 volatile compounds.

RESULTS: Durello base wines showed relatively high levels of vitispirane, ß-damascenone, ß-citronellol and esters. The norisoprenoid content was higher than in other dry still wines of the sare region (Garganega, Lugana, Pujnot Grigio), which appeared of particular interest considering the early harvest of grapes for sparkling wine production. Odor activity value (OAV) was used to assess the compounds that most contributed to wine aroma. The compounds with an OAV >1 were the ethyl octanoate, ß-damascenone, ethyl hexanoate, isoamyl acetate, octanoic acid, ethyl butanoate, hexanoic acid, TPB, 3-methylbutanoic acid, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, isoamyl alcohol, ethyl decanoate and finally TDN. The evaluation of the wine aroma profile by means of aromatic series indicated that Durello base wines were characterized by the “fruity” series. Analysis of a subset of Durello wines fromthree different regions within the Lessini Mountains, namely Brenton, Chiampo and Duello , showed that the three areas could be differentiated based on content of methyl salicylate, and the glycosidic precursors of cis-2-hexen-1-ol and 3-oxo-α-ionol.

CONCLUSIONS:

Base wines for the production of Durello sparkling wine were characterized by high concentrations of norisoprenoids and esters which can contribute to the fruity and tobacco aroma of wine. These results can be particularly useful for winemakers in order to create distinctive wine styles.

DOI:

Publication date: September 16, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Davide Slaghenaufi 

Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Italy ,Giulia REANI, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Italy Giovanni LUZZINI, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Italy Jessica SAMANIEGO-SOLIS, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Italy Maurizio UGLIANO, Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Italy

Contact the author

Keywords

durello; sparkling wine; esters, norisoprenoids, volatile compounds

Citation

Related articles…

Impact of climate change on the viticultural climate of the Protected Designation of Origin “Jumilla” (SE Spain)

Protected Designation of Origin “Jumilla” (PDO Jumilla) is located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete and Murcia, in the South-eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, where most of the models predict a severe impact of climate change in next decades. PDO Jumilla covers an area of 247,054 hectares, of which more than 22,000 hectares

Wine ageing: Managing wood contact time.

Barrel ageing is a transformative process that alters a wine’s organoleptic properties and consequently its price. Even though it is considered beneficial mostly for red wines, ageing can also be used for white wines but for shorter time periods. Due to barrel costs, space requirements and the markets’ demands for fast release of each new vintage, new products such as oak chips or shavings have been developed to help minimize the time needed for the extraction of essential wood compounds.

Changes in wine secondary metabolites composition by the timing of inoculation with lactic acid bacteria: impact on wine aroma

For the first time, it was established that the timing of inoculation with LAB could significantly impact the concentration of many secondary metabolites leading to significant aromatic changes. From studied compounds, the most influenced were esters and diacetyl.

Unprecedented rainfall in northern Portugal

Aim: Climate is arguably one of the most important factors determining the quality of wine from any given grapevine variety. High rainfall during spring can promote growth of the vines but increases the risk of fungal disease, while vineyard operations can be disrupted, as machinery may be prevented from getting in the vineyard owing to muddy soils.

Diversity in grape composition for sugars and acidity opens options to mitigate the effect of warming during ripening

The marked climate change impact on vine and grape development (phenology, sugar content, acidity …) is one of the manifestations of Genotype X Environment X Management interactions importance in viticulture. Some practices, such as irrigation, can mitigate the effect of water deficit on grape development, but warming is much more difficult to challenge. High temperatures tend to alter the acid balance of the fruit with a parallel increase in sugar concentration. In the long term, genetic improvement to select varieties better coping with temperature elevation appear as a good option to support sustainable viticulture. Nevertheless, the existing phenotypic diversity for grape quality components that are influenced by temperature is poorly understood, which jeopardizes breeding strategies.