OENO IVAS 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 OENO IVAS 9 OENO IVAS 2019 9 Analysis and composition of grapes, wines, wine spirits 9 Impact of grape maturity on esters content and sensory characters in wines fermented with yeast strains of different genetic backgrounds

Impact of grape maturity on esters content and sensory characters in wines fermented with yeast strains of different genetic backgrounds

Abstract

Grapes composition is a factor well known to affect wines composition and sensory expression. The goal of this study was to evaluate how grapes composition modifications linked to maturity level could affect wines aromatic expression and esters composition. An experimental design has been developed from grapes of Vitis vinifera cv Merlot. On each vine plot, grapes have been harvested at two maturity levels and then have been fermented under standardized condition with two yeast strains : a commercial one and another obtained by deletion of the four main esterases of the previous one. Fermentation performed with the esterases deletes strain led to wines with main ester levels generally lower by a factor 5 to 10 in comparison with the original strain.

Merlot wines from the highest maturity level and fermented with the commercial strain shown lower concentrations for fatty acids ethyl esters and higher alcohol acetates but higher concentrations for some substituted ethyl esters like ethyl leucate. When fermentations were performed with an esterases deleted strain, all esters contents remained the same.

Sensory analysis confirmed these results. For the wines fermented with the commercial strain, when the maturity increased, wine fruity aromatic expression decreased (particularly its global intensity and the fresh, redberry- and fermentative fruits character) whereas when the fermentation was performed by the deleted strain wines fruity characteristics were the same.

Aromatic reconstitution performed, on one hand, to erase the consequences of maturity differences and, on the other hand, to erase the consequences of the strain performing alcoholic fermentation on esters contents showed that esters were not, alone, responsible for the difference of sensory characteristics for wines from very ripe grapes (particularly for the jammy fruit notes) but that their presence was essential for the perception of this difference. 

Our results highlight once again the role of esters in the overall wine fruity aromatic expression and underline their indirect importance in the perception of some varietal characteristics through perceptive interaction phenomena.

DOI:

Publication date: June 11, 2020

Issue: OENO IVAS 2019

Type: Article

Authors

Jean-Christophe Barbe, Marine Trujillo, Marina Bely, Warren Albertin, Isabelle Masneuf-Pomarede, Benoit Colonna, Philippe Marullo

Unité de recherche Oenologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRA, ISVV, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon France.
UMR EGFV, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, INRAE, Université de Bordeaux, ISVV, Villenave d’Ornon, France.
Pernod Ricard, Créteil, France.
Biolaffort, Bordeaux, France.

Contact the author

Keywords

Wine aroma, Esters, Maturity, Saccharomyces cerevisiae 

Tags

IVES Conference Series | OENO IVAS 2019

Citation

Related articles…

Influence of agronomic practices in soil water content in mid-mountain vineyards

In the context of LIFE project MIDMACC (LIFE18 CCA/ES/001099), several pilots have been installed in vineyards in mid mountain areas of Catalonia (NE Spain) to test well stablished agronomic practices to increase the adaptation of Mediterranean mid mountain to climate change. Soil water content (SWC) at three different depths (15, 30 and 45cm) was measured in continuum from August 2020. One pilot (WC) included a well-established green cover (GC), a new GC (NC) and a conventional soil management (CM, tilling+herbicides). NC presented an intermediate state between WC and CM, responding similarly to CM in autumn but quickly reaching similar SWC to WC, then following the same evolution till next spring, with CM presenting lower values along autumn and winter. Then vegetation activation decreased SWC in all plots, (much slower in CM, lacking GC). Sensibility to spring rains is again intermediate for NC, which joins SWC evolution of CM by the end of spring till next autumn. It is expected that NC will resemble WC more and more as its GC develops. In the pilot combining vine training (VSP vs Gobelet) and hillside management (slope vs terrace), no clear pattern could be related with these conditions. However, both terraces seem to be more sensitive to spring rains. A third pilot included new vineyards (7 and 1 year old). In the new vineyard (N), higher canopy development, a spontaneous green cover and row straw resulted in a slower SWC dynamic, not so sensitive to rains but conserving more soil water in spring and most of summer, even with presumably a higher water extraction by vines. In the newest vineyard (VN) the deepest sensor is still sensitive to rain events all over the year and SWC is always highest at this depth, revealing small water capture by vines.

Study of Malvasia di Candia Aromatica shelf-life: effect of time and temperature on aroma compounds through an HS-SPME GCxGC-Ms approach

Young white wines should be consumed within a short time after bottling to avoid loss of their fresh, fruity attributes. Shelf-life of white wines can be extended if they are stored under suitable conditions of time and temperature prior to consumption.

Managing nitrogen balance in cover-cropped vineyard

In this audio recording of the IVES science meeting 2022, Thibaut Verdenal (Agroscope, Pully, Switzerland) speaks about managing nitrogen balance in cover-cropped vineyard. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

A phylogenomic study reveals the major dissemination routes of ‘Tempranillo Tinto’ in the Iberian Peninsula

‘Tempranillo Tinto’ is a black-berried Iberian cultivar that originated from a hybridization between cvs. ‘Benedicto’ and ‘Albillo Mayor’ [1]. Today, it is the third most widely grown wine grape cultivar worldwide with more than 200,000 hectares of vineyards mostly distributed along the Iberian Peninsula, where it is also known as ‘Cencibel’, ‘Tinta de Toro’, ‘Tinta Roriz’, and ‘Aragonez’, among other synonyms. Here, we quantified the intra-varietal genomic diversity in this cultivar through the study of 35 clones or ancient vines from seven different Iberian wine-making regions. A comparative analysis after Illumina whole-genome sequencing revealed the presence of 1,120 clonal single nucleotide variants (SNVs).

Territoires et zones viticoles. Aspects climatiques, pédologiques, agronomiques. Caractérisation des terroirs viticoles: une étude systémique

On assiste actuellement à l’émergence d’une demande sociale forte à l’égard de fonctions par ailleurs traditionnelles de l’agriculture, qui concernent la gestion des ressources du milieu, le maintien d’un tissu social rural, la valorisation des territoires ruraux et l’entretien des paysages.