Can roasted grape seed infusions act as a sustainable aging-like strategy to enhance complexity while preserving fruitiness in young red wines?

Abstract

Traditional oak aging enhances wine flavor but faces growing economic and environmental challenges, often conflicting with modern market trends favoring fresher, fruit-forward styles [1-3]. This study explores the valorization of grape seeds—an abundant winemaking by-product [4]—as a natural, grape-derived alternative to impart desirable aromatic and structural qualities while reducing reliance on natural or synthetic aging materials. Specifically, the present work evaluated the impact of roasted grape seed infusions on the chemical and sensory profiles of red wine during aging, with this innovative approach recently filed with the INPI as a provisional patent [5]. Seeds from a 2022 Bordeaux Merlot were dried and roasted following five reproducible protocols (T1-T5), ranging from light to intense heat treatment. A control wine (no infusion) and experimental wines infused with roasted seeds (1 g/L, 14 days) were prepared. The resulting wines were analyzed for phenolic content and underwent extended chemical profiling, including targeted analysis of volatile compounds, specifically terpenes, norisoprenoids, C6 compounds, esters, and oak-derived compounds (lactones, phenolic aldehydes, volatile phenols, furanic compounds) [6]. Sensory evaluation was conducted using the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) methodology by 62 tasters, assessing 9 aroma and mouthfeel descriptors [7]. Roasting significantly altered the volatile profiles of wines. Treated wines exhibited substantially increased levels of key wood-derived compounds, particularly those typically associated with oak aging, such as vanillin and guaiacol, with concentrations depending on the toasting level, highlighting the strong compositional impact of these wood components. Slight variations were also observed in some varietal, pre-fermentation, and fermentation-derived compounds. Sensory results revealed clear differences in aroma perception between the seed-aged wines and the control, which was primarily characterized by fresh-fruit aromas. Wines infused with highly roasted seeds (T4-T5) developed a complex aromatic profile with prominent grilled, coffee, and popcorn notes, whereas those from lower thermal treatments (T1-T2) were distinguished by enhanced fruitiness, often described as jammy. Overall, these findings highlight roasted grape seed infusions as a promising and sustainable approach to redefine red wine aging, promoting aromatic complexity while fostering innovation and circularity in winemaking.

References

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