Chemical characterization of distinctive aroma profiles of Valpolicella and Amarone wines

Abstract

Valpolicella is an Italian wine producing region, famous for the production of high-quality red wines. A distinctive characteristic of this region is the extensive use of post-harvest withering. The Valpolicella PDOs include different wine styles based on this technique, with two opposite interpretations being “Valpolicella”, a dry red wine for which no grape withering is foreseen, and “Amarone della Valpolicella”, a dry red wine obtained by the same grape varieties submitted to withering up to a weight loss of about 30% (Paronetto & Dellaglio, 2011). Moreover, the production regulations for Valpolicella PDOs divide the region in three areas: Valpolicella Classica, Valpolicella orientale and Valpantena (Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella, 2014).

The present study had different aims: first to evaluate the differences among the chemical volatile profile of Valpolicella and Amarone; second, to identify, within each PDO, different styles according to chemical and sensory features of the wines. Finally, to evaluate the impact of grape origin on aroma profile of studied wines. Free volatile compounds were analyzed with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis coupled with different SPE and SPME extractions techniques. Enological parameters and phenolic composition were analyzed with different spectrophotometry techniques. Sensory characteristics of the wines have been investigated through sorting tasks conducted by a semi-trained panel.

Amarone and Valpolicella showed major differences due to the different production techniques, vintages and aging periods. Amarone showed higher concentration of cyclic terpenes, branched esters, and lactones, while Valpolicella, resulted richer in linear terpenes (Accordini, 2013; Luzzini et al., 2022). Concerning stylistic differentiation, the application of multivariate data analysis allowed the identification of volatile chemical profiles that defined the distinct enological styles of the two Valpolicella production areas. Differences were particularly evident in Valpolicella wines, where Valpolicella Classica wines showed the presence of higher alcohols, fatty acids and sulphur compounds, while Valpolicella orientale wines were higher in terpenes and norisoprenoids. The sorting task identified two clusters, one representative of Valpolicella Classica. with wines primarily described as green, fruity, tobacco and red fruit, descriptors linked to esters, fatty acids and higher alcohols, while the other cluster was described as floral, balsamic and spicy, with higher content of terpenes.

References

Accordini, D. (2013). Amarone. In Sweet, Reinforced and Fortified Wines: Grape Biochemistry, Technology and Vinification (pp. 187–203). John Wiley and Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118569184.ch13

Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella. (2014). Disciplinare dei vini a Denominazione di Origine Controllata “Valpolicella.”

Luzzini, G., Slaghenaufi, D., & Ugliano, M. (2022). Approaches to the classification of wine aroma ageing potential. Applications to the case of terpenoids in Valpolicella red wines. Oeno One, 56(3), 221–232. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.3.5393

Paronetto, L., & Dellaglio, F. (2011). Amarone: A modern wine coming from an ancient production technology. In Advances in Food and Nutrition Research (Vol. 63, pp. 285–306). Academic Press Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-384927-4.00009-9