An ancient winemaking technology: Exploring the volatile composition of amphora wines

Management of in-Amphora "Trebbiano Toscano" Wine Production: Selection of Indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae Strains and Influence on the Phenolic and Sensory Profile

The use of earthenware amphorae in winemaking can give wines unique attributes enhancing their typicity. Therefore, in this study, spontaneous and inoculated in-amphora fermentations of Trebbiano Toscano grape must were monitored to assess the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains occurring in each fermentation as well as the chemical characteristics of the wines. Strain typing via Interdelta analyses pointed out that the commercial starters did not dominate, showing 24% and 13% implantation percentages, and that 20 indigenous strains were present at different percentages, ranging from 2 to 20%, in inoculated and spontaneous fermentations. The assessment of the technical characteristics of the indigenous strains via fermentations at lab and pilot scale (20 L amphorae) and the sensory analysis of the experimental wines allowed for the selection of two indigenous strains to be used as starter cultures in comparison to a commercial strain in 300-L-amphorae vinifications in the cellar. The observed fermentative performances and sensory analysis of the experimental wines highlighted that one indigenous S. cerevisiae strain dominated the process and conferred distinctive sensory characteristics to the Trebbiano Toscano wine, demonstrating its effectiveness in managing the in-amphora fermentations. In addition, the results demonstrated the ability of amphorae to protect the polyphenolic compounds from oxidation during wine ageing. Indeed, the concentration of both hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonols decreased, with an average reduction of 30% and 14%, respectively, while hydroxybenzoic acids remained unchanged.

A Sustainable Approach Based on the Use of Unripe Grape Frozen Musts to Modulate Wine Characteristics as a Proof of Concept

Aiming to develop a sustainable methodology for must acidity correction in winemaking, particularly needed in warm regions, the present study intends to fulfill the circular economy values. Antão Vaz white wines were produced using two different strategies for must acidity correction: (i) the addition of a mixture of organic acids (Mix*) commonly used in winemaking; and (ii) the addition of previously produced unripe grape must (UM*) from the same grape variety. In addition, a testimonial (T*) sample was produced with no acidity correction. For all wines produced, oenological parameters were determined, and both amino acid (AA) content and volatile composition were evaluated. A higher AA content was found in the Antão Vaz T* wine, followed by UM* wines. The volatile profile was also affected, and LDA demonstrates a clear separation of wines with different acidity corrections. Results obtained indicate that unripe grape musts—a vital waste product containing several compounds with important biological activity—can be used to increase musts acidity without a negative impact on wine characteristics. Furthermore, this work also shows that the use of unripe must may be a valuable tool for reducing the alcoholic content of wines.

Making wine in Pañul’s craft pottery vessels: a first approach in the study of the dynamic of alcoholic fermentation and wine volatile composition

Traditional winemaking in amphora-like clay vessels is one of the oldest known methods of wine production. Currently, some wine producers have readopted traditional winemaking methods to generate unique attributes that differentiate their products raising regional wine typicity. The aim of this research was to study the dynamic of alcoholic fermentation and volatile composition of ‘Carignan’ wines fermented into Pañul’s clay vessels and comparing them with the wines vinified into stainless-steel tanks. Density curve of the musts contained in the Pañul’s pottery vessels followed a similar trend than in the samples contained in the stainless-steel tanks. The temperatures of the must and the cap during alcoholic fermentation were lower in the Pañul’s pottery vessels than in the stainless-steel tanks in most of the evaluated days. Thus, clay vessels may provide temperature-regulating properties beneficing wine fermentation compared to stainless-steel tanks. Pañul’s clay vessels produced wines with higher terpenes, β-ionone and 2-phenylethyl alcohol content, and lower values of some individual higher alcohols, isoamyl acetate, lactones, and pH than the stainless-steel tanks. Therefore, the results suggest that Pañul’s pottery vessels favored increasing the terpene alcohols and other volatile compounds concentrations, in addition to decreasing certain higher alcohols and acetate esters contents such as benzyl alcohol and iso-amyl acetate. These outcomes may be of interest to ceramic producers and wine producers since they open a range of economic opportunities to diversify their products.

Characterization of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines by Untargeted HS-SPME GC-QTOF-MS

Untargeted metabolomics approaches are emerging as powerful tools for the quality evaluation and authenticity of food and beverages and have been applied to wine science. However, most fail to report the method validation, quality assurance and/or quality control applied, as well as the assessment through the metabolomics-methodology pipeline. Knowledge of Mexican viticulture, enology and wine science remains scarce, thus untargeted metabolomics approaches arise as a suitable tool. The aim of this study is to validate an untargeted HS-SPME-GC-qTOF/MS method, with attention to data processing to characterize Cabernet Sauvignon wines from two vineyards and two vintages. Validation parameters for targeted methods are applied in conjunction with the development of a recursive analysis of data. The combination of some parameters for targeted studies (repeatability and reproducibility < 20% RSD; linearity > 0.99; retention-time reproducibility < 0.5% RSD; match-identification factor < 2.0% RSD) with recursive analysis of data (101 entities detected) warrants that both chromatographic and spectrometry-processing data were under control and provided high-quality results, which in turn differentiate wine samples according to site and vintage. It also shows potential biomarkers that can be identified. This is a step forward in the pursuit of Mexican wine characterization that could be used as an authentication tool.

Kinetic modeling of a Sangiovese wine’s chemical and physical parameters during one-year aging in different tank materials

The present study aimed to model the kinetics of factors involved in wine aging to highlight the effects caused by different tank materials. It is known that materials affect wine composition through releasing of tannins, elementals and allowing different level of oxygen permeation. To monitor how the composition of a red wine was influenced by the contact with different kind of material, a Sangiovese red wine from the 2018 harvest was aged for one-year simultaneously in six different 5 hL tank materials including stainless steel, epoxy-coated concrete, uncoated concrete, raw earthenware, new and used oak wood. The registered differences were described through kinetic modeling of some wine’s chemical and physical parameters. In particular, the one-year evolution of the dissolved oxygen, redox potential and phenolic composition of the wines showed significant differences according to the tank material. Like the oak barrels, the raw earthenware amphorae and uncoated concrete tanks enhanced the polymerisation of the phenolic fraction of the wine. Instead, the stainless steel and epoxy-coated concrete proved to be the most chemically inert materials as they showed the least variability of redox potential and the lowest degree of color evolution.

Historical and Heritage Sustainability for the Revival of Ancient Wine-Making Techniques and Wine Styles

The purpose of this review is to provide a general description of ancient winemaking techniques and wine styles that were most lauded in antiquity, in support of their revival and dissemination today. From the first fully excavated winery, dating from the late fifth to the early fourth millennium BC, the gentle crushing of grapes by foot and the probable absence of maceration indicate that most wines were made with the aim of reducing astringency. The oxidative nature of winemaking would have resulted in rapid browning, so that wines made from red grapes would have had a similar color to those made from white grapes after being aged in clay vats for several years. The difficulty in preventing the wine surface contact with the air would have resulted in biological ageing under the yeast pellicle being a common occurrence. This phenomenon was not considered a flaw, but a characteristic feature of highly prized wines. Dried grapes were used to make sweet wines, which were also highly prized, therefore justifying the construction of dedicated facilities. The addition of boiled juices, salt, resins, mixtures of herbs, spices, fruit juices, flowers, or honey to the wines would have increased their taste pleasantness while improving their preservability and medicinal properties. Indeed, today’s preference for flavored wines with a soft mouthfeel seems to have been representative of the ancient elite consumers. Overall, the technical interpretation of winemaking described in this review will provide solid historical support for the current rebirth of ancient production methods, particularly those using pottery vessels.

DCMC as a Promising Alternative to Bentonite in White Wine Stabilization. Impact on Protein Stability and Wine Aromatic Fraction

Protein haze in white wine is one of the most common non-microbial defects of commercial wines, with bentonite being the main solution utilized by the winemaking industry to tackle this problem. Bentonite presents some serious disadvantages, and several alternatives have been proposed. Here, an alternative based on a new cellulose derivative (dicarboxymethyl cellulose, DCMC) is proposed. To determine the efficiency of DCMC as a bentonite alternative, three monovarietal wines were characterized, and their protein instability and content determined by a heat stability test (HST) and the Bradford method, respectively. The wines were treated with DCMC to achieve stable wines, as shown by the HST, and the efficacy of the treatments was assessed by determining, before and after treatment, the wine content in protein, phenolic compounds, sodium, calcium, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as the wine pH. DCMC applied at dosages such as those commonly employed for bentonite was able to reduce the protein content in all tested wines and to stabilize all but the Moscatel de Setúbal varietal wine. In general, DCMC was shown to induce lower changes in the wine pH and phenolic content than bentonite, reducing the wine calcium content. Regarding which VOCs are concerned, DCMC produced a general impact similar to that of bentonite, with differences depending on wine variety. The results obtained suggest that DCMC can be a sustainable alternative to bentonite in protein white wine stabilization.

Comparison of Aroma Compounds in Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wines from Five Growing Regions in Xinjiang in China

A total of 55 volatiles including esters (29, 52.73%), alcohols (10, 18.18%), acids (3, 5.45%), alkanes (8, 14.55%), and other components (5, 9.09%) were evaluated in five regions. Total concentrations were 0.05–222.23 mg/L, which covered the highest esters (222.23 mg/L) and alcohols (120.65 mg/L) in Turpan, acid (0.53 mg/L) in Shihezi, and alkanes (1.43 mg/L) and others (3.10 mg/L) in the Ili River valley. It proved that numbers and concentrations of volatile compounds, including common ingredients of variety, were closely linked to ecological characteristics of a region. Esters and alcohols were the major ingredients in Xinjiang Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Additionally, appellation could affect performance of concentration, ODE, and OTH, especially for the same flavor substance by fermentation, aging, and even formation and transformation in wines. Therefore, three conditions for formation of flavors were successively appellations, metabolism and fermentation, and and appropriate altering according to technology and their decisive role in wine quality. Each volatile compound had its own flavor, the combination of which complicated the flavor. The unique materials in the region were grounded for the development of products with corresponding flavors by producing substrate for fermentation. When choosing a wine you enjoy, the right appellation should be considered first.

Effect of Aging Vessel (Clay-Tinaja versus Oak Barrel) on the Volatile Composition, Descriptive Sensory Profile, and Consumer Acceptance of Red Wine

Consumers look for unique wines, offering pleasant experiences. Wine producers need to open new markets and are targeting countries with fewer traditions in drinking red and complex wines, such as Poland, Russia and Germany. The use of less popular aging vessels (e.g., clay-tinajas) will help in creating unique wines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the aging vessel on the volatile and sensory profiles and consumer acceptance of red wine in Spain and Poland (model of potential new markets). Three wines were studied: (i) wine A, aged in a clay-tinaja with non-permeable coating); (ii) wine B, aged in clay-tinaja without coating; and (iii) wine C, aged in oak barrels (control). The key families in the volatile profiles were esters (wines B and C) and organic acids and terpenes (wine A). Wine A was described as sour and bitter, wine B had a distinctive mineral note, and wine C had a complex profile with typical wood notes. Finally, wines C and A were the preferred ones for Spanish and Polish consumers, respectively. Clay-tinaja wine A can be a good option to introduce clay-tinaja wines in Polish and similar markets because it is a unique product and fulfills the sensory demands/habits of Polish consumers.

Historical Wines of Portugal: The Classification, Consumer Associations and Marketing Implications

Geographical origin, use of traditional varieties and ancestral viticulture/oenology practices characterize wines classified as Historical Wines of Portugal (HWP). This study identifies the authenticity attributes consumers associate with this classification and assesses the relative strength of associations. A review of brand authenticity research and interviews with Portuguese wine producers (n = 3) and consumers (n = 12) were conducted to identify HWP classification attributes. Strength of attribute association was subsequently evaluated in an online questionnaire with a convenience sample of Portuguese wine consumers (n = 641), which included a measure of general wine knowledge and questions about the adequacy of different contexts for HWP purchase and consumption. Wine knowledge markedly affected the nature and strength of consumer associations. Compared to Aspirational Explorers, wine connoisseurs emerged as Heritage Gatekeepers, associating origin, cultural heritage, quality, production and at-home consumption more strongly with HWP, and tradition, wine age and out-of-home consumption less strongly. Market recognition of HWP as a novel and distinctive table wine classification, with well-defined and unique attributes, is thus likely to depend on consumers' general wine knowledge. Related promotional activities targeting wine novices should first focus on educating them on HWP classification, whereas those directed at savvier consumers should emphasize wine authenticity cues instead.

Revealing the yeast modulation potential on amino acid composition and volatile profile of Arinto white wines by a combined chromatographic-based approach

The importance of yeasts in aroma production during wine fermentation is a significant concern for obtaining a wine that appraises a broad number of consumers. For wine producers, wine aroma modulation is an essential issue where the yeasts used during the winemaking process represents a feasible way to improve the complexity and enhance wines specific characteristics. During the fermentation process of wines, yeasts convert grapes sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide and a large number of secondary metabolites, depending on yeast metabolism, affecting the wine composition, namely its aroma and amino acids (AAs) composition. So, the present work aims to study the effect of different Saccharomyces-type yeasts on the AAs composition and volatile profile of Arinto white wines. To pursue this goal, four white wines from Arinto grapes were fermented with three different commercial yeasts (Saccharomyces bayanus EC1118, Saccharomyces cerevisiae CY3079, Saccharomyces bayanus QA23) and one Native yeast. Arinto wines AAs composition was quantified by HPLC-DAD, after a derivatization step to obtain the aminoenone derivatives. The volatile content of Arinto wines was determined by GC/MS, after an HS-SPME extraction. Results showed significant differences among the AAs content and volatile profile in the Arinto wines. The higher AAs content was found in the Arinto wines fermented with the CY3079 yeast (470.74 mg•L^-1), and the lowest content of AAs in the Arinto wines fermented with EC1118 yeast (343.06 mg•L^-1). Native yeast results in wines with a volatile profile richer in esters compared to the other sample wines. Principal component analysis (PCA) obtained with combined data of AAs and volatile compounds, after normalization, for each Arinto wine samples, shows a clear separation of wines fermented with Native and CY3079 yeasts in relation to QA23 and EC1118 fermented wines . The first and second principal components are responsible for 44.40% and 32.20%, respectively, of the system's variance, which clearly showed a differentiation among wines.

Chemical and Physical Implications of the Use of Alternative Vessels to Oak Barrels during the Production of White Wines

Recently, the use of alternative vessels to oak barrels during winemaking has become increasingly popular, but little is known about their impact on the chemical composition of the resulting wines. To address this issue, a Sauvignon Blanc wine was elaborated from the same grape juice by using cylindrical stainless-steel tanks, oval-shaped concrete vessels, oval-shaped polyethylene vessels, and clay jars in triplicate. Each vessel was used for alcoholic fermentation and the aging of wines over its own lees. Wines elaborated in concrete vessels showed the highest pH and the lowest titratable acidity, most likely related to the observed release of inorganic compounds from the concrete walls. Little effect of the vessels was seen on the wine color and phenolic composition. Wines elaborated in clay jars showed the highest turbidity and the highest content of soluble polysaccharides, while those made using cylindrical stainless-steel tanks showed the highest content of volatile compounds. Despite the observed differences, all of the vessels tested seem suitable for white wine production since every wine showed chemical features that corresponded with the quality standards of Sauvignon Blanc wines.

Wine Aging Technology: Fundamental Role of Wood Barrels

The aging of wines is a process used to preserve wine but also to enhance its properties. It is a process of great interest, mainly because of the additional properties it adds to wines and because of its economic implications. Historically, barrels have been employed for centuries for preserving and aging wine due to their resistance and relative impermeability. In general terms, the wine aging process can be divided into two phases: oxidative and reductive aging. Oxidative aging traditionally takes place in barrels while reductive phase occurs in the bottle. During both processes, oxygen plays a fundamental role as well as other factors, for instance: temperature, light, bottle position, microbial growth or storage time. Likewise, during the aging process, a series of chemical reactions take place influencing the composition and organoleptic profile of wine. At this point, oxidative aging in barrels is a fundamental step. Barrels are directly involved in the produced changes on wine's composition due to the transference of oxygen and phenolic and aromatic compounds from wood to wine. This way, barrels act as an active vessel capable of releasing compounds that affect and improve wine's characteristics. Regarding, the importance of barrels during aging process, some attention must be given to the species most used in cooperage. These species are conventionally oak species, either French or American. However, other non-conventional species are currently being studied as possible wood sources for the production of wines, such as chestnut robinia or other oak species. In the last decades, new approaches have been developed for barrel aging to find new alternatives more suitable, affordable and feasible to sanitize the process, such as other materials different from wood or the use of wood chips, which is regulated since 2006 by the EU. However, even though some of them have shown promising data, barrels are currently the most used technology for the oxidative stage of table wines aging.

Entrapped Psychrotolerant Yeast Cells within Pine Sawdust for Low Temperature Wine Making: Impact on Wine Quality

An alternative methodology is proposed for low temperature winemaking using freeze-dried raw materials. Pine sawdust was delignified and the received porous cellulosic material was applied as immobilization carrier of the psychrotolerant yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae AXAZ-1. The immobilization of yeast cells was examined and verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The immobilized biocatalyst and high-gravity grape must were separately freeze-dried without cryoprotectants and stored at room temperature (20–22 °C) for 3 months. The effect of storage on the fermentation efficiency of the immobilized biocatalyst at low temperatures (1–10 °C), as well as on the aromatic characteristics of the produced wines was evaluated. Storage time had no significant effect on the fermentation efficiency of the biocatalyst resulting in most cases in high ethanol production 13.8–14.8% v/v. The volatile fraction of the produced wines was examined using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). GC-MS/SPME analysis along with the organoleptic evaluation revealed in all produced wines a plethora of fresh and fruit aromatic notes. To conclude, fermentation kinetics and aromatic profile evaluation encourages the production of high-quality sweet wines at low temperatures using pine sawdust (Pinus halepensis) entrapped yeast cells as a promoter.

Production and characterization of a new distillate obtained from fermentation of wet processing coffee by-products

Coffee is one of the most important commodities worldwide. The industrial processing of coffee cherries generates a considerable volume of by-products such as wastewater, coffee pulp, mucilage, and husk. These by-products have sugars and nutrients that can be converted into value-added products via microbial action. In this study, for the first time, we evaluated the potential of coffee pulp and coffee wastewater as substrate for alcoholic fermentation produce a distilled beverage. The must composed by dry or wet coffee pulp and coffee wastewater added of commercial sucrose or sugarcane molasses was fermented by S. cerevisiae. After a screening step, a larger fermentation was carried out with the wet pulp added of sucrose due to its higher alcoholic fermentation efficiency. The distilled beverage contained 38% (v/v) ethanol and 0.2 g/L of acetic acid. The contaminants furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural and ethyl carbamate were below detection level. Among the 48 volatile compounds detected, the majority (21) were ethyl esters usually associated with floral and sweet aromas. Ethyl decanoate (996.88 µg/L) and ethyl dodecanoate (1088.09 µg/L) were the most abundant esters. Coffee spirit presented taste acceptance of 80% and sugarcane spirit, 70%. The tasters indicated an aroma acceptance of 86% for the coffee spirit and 78% for the sugarcane spirit. The results of this work demonstrate the potential for using coffee by-products to produce a good quality distilled beverage. Considering our results, especially sensorial analysis, we can infer that the produced coffee beverage represents a new alternative for adding value to the coffee production chain.

Roman Wine in Barbaricum. Preliminary Studies on Ancient Wine Recreation

Ancient Roman wine is found outside of the borders of the Roman world as a result of the Roman influence, trade and political relations. In our project, we decided to extensively research and recreate the ancient method of wine making in order to understand ancient viticulture and viniculture as it could have been if implemented outside of the borders. The objective was to recreate roman wine using ancient methods based on ancient texts (such as Columella, Pliny the Elder, Cicero, Cato the Elder, Galenus and Mago). The wine was made using modern grapes grown on lands considered by the Romans as barbaric (i.e., outside the Roman Limes), in modern Poland. The aim of the project—except for the wine making itself—was to measure the level of alcohol created through fermentation process. Ethanol levels in samples were obtained using gas chromatography (GC).