On the meaning of looking for terroir perceptions in blind tastings

In a highly competitive worldwide market, a current challenge for the beverage sector is to diversify the range of products and to offer wines and spirits with typicity and character.

During alcoholic fermentation, wine yeasts generate a large variety of volatile metabolites, including acetate esters, ethyl fatty acid esters, higher alcohols, volatile fatty acids and volatile sulfur compounds that contribute to the aroma profile of wine. These molecules, refered as fermentative aromas, are the most abundant volatile compounds synthetized by yeasts and the metabolic pathways involved in their formation have been well characterized. Furthermore, other molecules with a major organoleptic impact may be produced during wine fermentation including terpene derivatives. However, little information is available on the contribution of yeasts to the formation of these molecules, in particular on their ability to synthethise de novo the terpens derivatives or to produce hydrolytic enzymes involved in the release of varietal precursors.

AIM AND METHODS: Corvina and Corvinone are the two main grape varieties used in the production of Valpolicella, Recioto and Amarone, top-quality red wines in north-eastern Italy. This work aimed at determining the aroma composition of Corvina and Corvinone experimental wines and identify the main aroma compounds contributing to the aroma characteristics of Corvina and Corvinone monovarietal wines. Five Corvina and five Corvinone wines were studied, the grapes coming from five different vineyards in Valpolicella. Volatile compounds were extracted by SPE and identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), whereas their aroma impact was determined by gas chromatography- olfactometry (GC-O).RESULTS: Based on the GC-MS-O analysis, 95 odor zones were detected, from which 68 compounds were successfully identified. Using the criterion of a value higher than 30% in modified frequency (MF %), 51 compounds were selected and grouped according to odor similarity. Compounds with values below 30% were discarded.

Biomass accumulation in yeast has been studied in this work in terms of their role in fermentation processes. So, biotin is involved in many reactions and nitrogen metabolism disorders

AIM: Grape withering is an oenological post-harvest process used for production of reinforced and sweet wines. Drying can be carried out by keeping the ripe grape in traditional large, well-aired rooms (non-controlled environment) or, more and more often, in a warehouse under controlled conditions of airflow and relative humidity (controlled environment)[1].

This study examines the impact of wine tourism development on the sustainable competitive advantage of Spanish wineries, while also exploring the mediating roles of winery image and winery reputation in this relationship.