Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Understanding sweetness of dry wines: first evidence of astilbin isomers in red wines and quantitation in a one-century range of vintages

Understanding sweetness of dry wines: first evidence of astilbin isomers in red wines and quantitation in a one-century range of vintages

Abstract

The gustatory balance of wines relies on sweetness, bitterness and sourness. In dry wines, sweetness does not result from the presence of residual sugar as in sweet wines, but is due to other non-volatile compounds. Such taste-active compounds are released during winemaking, by grapes, yeasts or oak wood and belong numerous chemical families [1]. Beyond this diversity, stereochemistry of molecules can also influence their sensory properties [2]. However, the molecular determinants associated with this taste have only been partially elucidated. Astilbin (2R, 3R) was recently reported to contribute to wine sweetness [3]. As its aglycon contains two stereogenic centers, three other stereoisomers may be present: neoisoastilbin (2S, 3R), isoastilbin (2R, 3S), and neoastilbin (2S, 3S). These compounds have already been observed in natural products, but never in wine. This work aimed at assaying their presence for the first time in wines as well as their taste properties.The isomers were synthesized from astilbin and purified by semi-preparative HPLC. Their content was assayed by developing a UHPLC-Q-Exactive quantification method. The method was applied to screen astilbin and isomers in various wines, especially in different vintages from the same estate. Sensory analysis highlighted the sweet taste of these stereoisomers whose intensity varied according to their configuration. Quantification results revealed that while young wines contained higher concentrations of astilbin than the old ones, the concentrations of the other isomers, mainly neoastilbin, were higher in the old wines, suggesting their formation over time.These results highlight the contribution of astilbin isomers in wine sweetness. More generally, this study brings new insights to understand the chemical origin of wine taste.

DOI:

Publication date: September 17, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Marie Le Scanff , Syntia FAYAD, Axel MARCHAL, 

Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRA, ISVV, Université de Bordeaux, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France 

Contact the author

Keywords

sweetness, sensory analysis, taste, isomers, wines

Citation

Related articles…

Un modello di lavoro per lo studio dell’ up-grading tecnologico del vigneto nel Veneto Occidentale. Connettività degli attori e mappatura su dati avepa integrati con rilevamento speditivo e qualitativo

Il lavoro si prefigge di esaminare la propensione alla modernizzazione della viticoltura del Veneto Occidentale, letto attraverso la diffusione di forme di allevamento a sviluppo contenuto.

Influence of the vineyard’s surrounding vegetation on the phenolic potential of Vitis vinifera L. cv Tempranillo grapes

Wine industry has to develop new strategies to reduce the negative impact of global climate change in wine quality while trying to mitigate its own contribution to this climate change. The term “ecosystem services”, whose use has been recently increasing, refers to the benefits that human beings can obtain from the interactions between the different living beings that coexist in an environment or system. The management of biodiversity in the vineyard has a positive impact on this crop. It has recently been reported that practices such as plant cover can reduce the occurrence of pests, increase pollination of the vine, improve plant performance1 and affect the phenolic content of grapes.2

A viticultural perspective of Meso-scale atmospheric modelling in the Stellenbosch wine growing area, South Africa

La brise de mer et les facteurs climatiques qu’elle entraîne (accélération de la vitesse du vent au cours de l’après midi, augmentation de l’humidité et baisse de la temperature) sont d’un intérêt particulier pour la viticulture.

Assessment of alternative sweetening methods for dealcoholized wine

In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for non-alcoholic wine with an ethanol content of less than 0.5% v/v. The dealcoholization process can take place by various methods, such as vacuum distillation or membrane technologies like osmotic distillation. Compared to distillation, membrane systems often require multiple passes or a combination of multiple separation methods. Complete or almost complete removal of ethanol significantly changes the sensory characteristics of wine.

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

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.