Comparative analytical and sensory profiling of Armenian orange wines from widely cultivated grape varieties under low-intervention skin-contact vinification

Abstract

Orange (skin-contact) wines are experiencing renewed global interest, yet published data remain scarce for Armenian white varieties and local low-intervention practices. This study presents a comparative analytical and sensory characterization of Armenian white grape variety Mskhali and the Georgian variety Rkatsiteli, widely spread in Armenia, vinified using natural wine production requirements and skin contact: orange wine technology in stainless steel tanks and of their blended vin d’assemblage bottled as Yerevak Orange Natural wine. Grapes were collected from Norabats village Rkatsiteli was harvested in early September 2022 and Mskhali in October 2022; fermentations were spontaneous (wild yeast) with cap management performed 2 to 3 times daily. Wines matured for approximately one year before bottling. No additives or preservatives were applied, including no sulfur dioxide addition. Wines were bottled on 09 May 2023 after sheet filtration and without stabilization treatment, allowing possible natural sediment. Following vinification, the monovarietal wines and the blended wine (vin d’assemblage) were analyzed for physicochemical parameters in EVN Wine Academy laboratory. The analyses shows that alcohol ranged from 10.7 to 11.9% (v/v), titratable acidity from 4.20 to 5.83 g/L and pH from 3.52 to 4.07. Total phenolics varied markedly and Rkatsiteli showed high phenolic contents. The wines were evaluated by 2 panels (in Armenia and in Italy) which consistently identified dried fruit, cooked apple, apricot, walnut, honey, vegetal notes, orange blossom, moderate bitterness and a tea-like astringency as the main shared descriptors. Descriptive sensory profiling indicated that the blend expressed a stronger dried-fruit character and a more structured, tea-like tannin perception than the monovarietal Mskhali orange wine. From an aromatic point of view, Yerevak Orange Natural wine is dominated by fermentation-derived volatiles, particularly higher alcohols, ethyl lactate, and succinate-related esters, while fruity ethyl esters are quantitatively secondary. Among varietal compounds, norisoprenoids derived from carotenoids and vinylphenols originating from hydroxycinnamic acids represent the main components extracted during skin maceration. These results provide baseline compositional and sensory data for Armenian orange wines and suggest that blending can be used to balance acidity, phenolic structure and aromatic expression in low-intervention skin-contact wines

References

Aleixandre-Tudo, J.L. et al. (2015) Effect of skin contact before and during alcoholic fermentation on the chemical and sensory profile of South African Chenin Blanc white wines. S. Afr. J. Enol. Vitic., 36(3), 366–377.

Buican, B.-C.; Colibaba, L.C.; Luchian, C.E.; Kallithraka, S.; Cotea, V.V. (2023). “Orange” wine – The resurgence of an ancient winemaking technique: A review. Agriculture, 13, 1750.