Sensory changes during bottle storage of Spanish red wines under different initial oxygen doses

Toasted Vine Shoots as an Alternative Enological Tool. Impact on the Sensory Profile of Tempranillo Wines during Bottle Aging

The use of toasted vine shoots (SEGs) as an enological tool is a new practice that seeks to improve wines by differentiating between them and encouraging sustainable wine production. The sensorial impact during bottle aging of wines treated with SEGs is a key factor to consider. This paper studies the influence of SEGs on Tempranillo wines treated with their own SEGs in two different doses (12 and 24 g/L) at two differences moments (during alcoholic fermentation and after malolactic fermentation) throughout 1 year of bottle aging. The results indicate that addition moment is the factor that most affects the evolution of sensorial descriptors. The greatest evolution in the wines was observed during the first 4 months, wherein improved integration of the notes related to addition of SEGs occurred. A reduction in the perception of dryness and bitterness was observed in the treated wines, therefore, SEGs could be considered accelerators to eliminate these initial sensations from wines.

Microwave Irradiation: Effects on the Change of Colour Characteristics and Main Phenolic Compounds of Cabernet Gernischt Dry Red Wine during Storage

Wine colour is an essential organoleptic property considered by consumers. In this paper, the potential effects on colour characteristics and the content of main phenolic compounds in red wine under microwave irradiation were investigated during wine storage. The results showed that the changing trend of colour characteristics of microwave-treated and untreated wines was very similar. Moreover, total phenolic compounds, total monomeric anthocyanins, main anthocyanins, main flavonoids, and main phenolic acids (gallic acid; caffeic acid; syringic acid; (+)-catechin; Cy-3-glu; Mv-3-glu) also showed similar change trends during storage. In other words, microwave irradiation had a long-term effect on the colour properties and main phenolic compounds of red wine, changes that require long-time aging in traditional processing. In terms of the studied parameters, the changes in microwave-treated wine were faster than those in untreated wine. These results showed that microwave technology, as a promising artificial aging technology, could in a short time produce red wine of similar quality to traditional aging.

Impact of Different Stoppers on the Composition of Red and Rosé Lagrein, Schiava (Vernatsch) and Merlot Wines Stored in Bottle

Different technical cork stoppers (blend of natural cork microgranules, one-piece natural cork, agglomerated natural cork, technical cork 1+1) were compared to evaluate the effects on the phenolic, volatile profiles and dissolved oxygen in three red (Merlot, Lagrein red, St. Magdalener) and one rosé (Lagrein rosé) wines, which were stored in bottles for 12 months. Gallic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, trans-resveratrol, glutahionyl caftaric acid and protocatechuic acid did not vary remarkably during the first three months, whereas at six months a net increase was reported, followed by a clear decrease at 12 months. The same trend was observed in Lagrein rosé, but only for gallic acid. The total anthocyanins content decreased during the storage period in the four wines. Isopentyl acetate, 1-hexanol, ethyl hexanoate, 2-phenylethyl alcohol, diethyl succinate, ethyl octanoate and ethyl decanoate were the main volatile compounds. The sum of alcohols decreased in all four of the wines. The esters decreased in Merlot; however, they increased in Lagrein rosé, Lagrein red and St. Magdalener during the storage. Univariate and multivariate statistics and a sensory discriminant triangle test displayed similar influences of the different stoppers on the phenolic and volatile compounds during the whole storage duration. The changes detected in the phenolic and volatile concentrations were presumably due to the non-oxygen-mediated reactions occurring during 12 months of storage in bottle.

Using Content Analysis to Characterise the Sensory Typicity and Quality Judgements of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon Wines

Understanding the sensory attributes that explain the typicity of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines is essential for increasing value and growth of Australia’s reputation as a fine wine producer. Content analysis of 2598 web-based wine reviews from well-known wine writers, including tasting notes and scores, was used to gather information about the regional profiles of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon wines and to create selection criteria for further wine studies. In addition, a wine expert panel evaluated 84 commercial Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Coonawarra, Margaret River, Yarra Valley and Bordeaux, using freely chosen descriptions and overall quality scores. Using content analysis software, a sensory lexicon of descriptor categories was built and frequencies of each category for each region were computed. Distinction between the sensory profiles of the regions was achieved by correspondence analysis (CA) using online review and expert panellist data. Wine quality scores obtained from reviews and experts were converted into Australian wine show medal categories. CA of assigned medal and descriptor frequencies revealed the sensory attributes that appeared to drive medal-winning wines. Multiple factor analysis of frequencies from the reviews and expert panellists indicated agreement about descriptors that were associated with wines of low and high quality, with greater alignment at the lower end of the wine quality assessment scale.

Aging of Malbec wines from Mendoza and California: Evolution of phenolic and elemental composition

This work aimed to investigate the evolution of phenolic compounds and elements during the aging of Malbec red wines from different regions of Mendoza (Argentina) and California (United States). The profiles of low molecular weight polyphenols and anthocyanins were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD), and the elemental composition using microwave plasma-Atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES). Through uni- and multivariate statistical analyses, the effects of aging time and region on wine were investigated. It was observed that aging time was a significant factor that affected the phenolic compound profile in the studied Malbec wines studied and that after five years of aging, the wines could be differentiated according to region. The results of this study may impact decisions made regarding the storage of Malbec wines in the future.

Impact of different types of stoppers on sensorial and phenolic characteristics evolution during a bottle storage time of a white wine from Chardonnay grape variety

The objective of this work was to study the correlation between the variation of phenolic compounds and sensory characteristics in white wine during bottle storage and to explore the compounds that affected sensory evolution. Chardonnay (Vitis vinifera L. cv.) dry white wines were bottled under six types of stoppers and stored for 18 months. The composition of phenolic compounds was analyzed, and the sensory attributes of these wines were evaluated by professional panel. Multivariate statistical analysis demonstrated that bottle aging period exhibited a more important effect on phenolic compound evolution than stopper type. Most of the phenolic compounds disappeared after 18 months of bottle storage, whereas the wine sensory attributes were significantly improved after 15-month of bottle aging. No strong correlation existed between the phenolic variation and the dissolved oxygen content. Wine color characteristics developed towards better quality accompanying with the reduction of detectable hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and flavan-3-ols, while the wine mouth-feel was related mainly to gallic acid and ferulic acid ester. This work provided some references for wine producers to select appropriate storage duration for bottled white wine.

Evaluation of the impact of initial red wine composition on changes in color and anthocyanin content during bottle storage

Sixteen commercial red wines, selected to cover a different range of color and total polyphenols index (TPI), were stored at 25°C during 6months under controlled and different oxygen additions (0, 1.1, 3.1, 10.6 and 30.4mgL(-1)) during the bottling process. Changes in color and the anthocyanic composition were evaluated using transmittance spectra and UPLC-MS-UV/Vis respectively. Results reveal a general pattern in the evolution of wines. However, different patterns of evolution related to initial wine composition, especially to TPI, were observed. Wines with higher TPI had a lower evolution, whereas wines with lower TPI showed a higher evolution and greater variability in behavior. In general, oxygen seemed to accelerate all changes observed during aging although the oxygen effect was more limited than the effect of the storage time. These results are relevant for wine experts and help explain the evolution of wine at the bottling stage.