Varietal Aromas of Fortified Wines from Different Moscato Var. (Vitis vinifera L.) under the Same Pedoclimatic Conditions

Vitis vinifera L. cv. Moscato includes different varieties mainly used to produce sweet wines, such as fortified wines. Moscato grapes are characterized by a large number of free and glycosylated monoterpenoids giving very aromatic wines. However, the literature data on the aroma profile of fortified Moscato wines are very limited. In light of this, the present research aimed to investigate the aroma compounds, mainly the varietal ones, of fortified wines from different Moscato varieties, namely Giallo (Yellow), Bianco (White), Bianco at Petit Grain (Blanc à Petits Grains), Ottonel and Rosa (Pink of Trentino), cultivated under the same pedoclimatic conditions. Using the HS-SPME-GC-MS (head space-solid phase micro extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) technique, numerous varietal and fermentative aroma compounds have been identified and quantified and significant differences were observed among varieties in the levels of mostly volatiles and in their ratios. Based on their composition, the studied wines can be divided in two groups depending on whether linalool or geraniol prevails among varietal aromas. These results are evidence that each Moscato variety has a typical varietal aroma composition, even if some similarities were found between the two white varieties, and between Moscato Giallo and Moscato Ottonel varieties. Moscato Rosa showed a peculiar aroma composition and the lowest ester/terpene ratio.

Aroma of Sherry Products: A Review

Jerez (Sherry) is a well-known wine-producing region located in southern Spain, where world-renowned oenological products such as wines, vinegars, and brandies are produced. There are several factors that provide characteristic physical, chemical, and sensory properties to the oenological products obtained in this Sherry region: the climate in the area with hot summers, mild winters, and with limited rainfall; the raw material used consisting on Palomino Fino, Moscatel, and Pedro Ximénez white grape varieties; the special vinification with fortified wines; and aging techniques such as a dynamic system of biological or oxidative aging. These special organoleptic characteristics are responsible for, among others, the aromatic profile of the wines, vinegars and brandies from the area, which explains why this is a subject that has been extensively researched over the years. This bibliographic review aims to compile the different scientific contributions that have been found to date, in relation with the aroma of the oenological products from the Sherry area (dry wines, sweet wines, vinegars, and brandies). We have mainly focused on the different analytical methodologies used and on the main analytes of interest.

Base Wine and Traditional Sparkling Wine Making Using Torulaspora delbrueckii Killer Yeasts

The killer strains of Torulaspora delbrueckii can be used to improve the dominance of this yeast during must fermentation. The present work analyzes its usefulness for traditional sparkling wine making. T. delbrueckii killer strain dominated base wine fermentation better than non-killer strains and produced dried wines. The foam ability of T. delbrueckii base wines was very low compared to that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Significant positive correlations of foam parameters were found with some amounts of C4–C16 ethyl esters and proteins, and negative correlations with some antifoam alcohols. The organoleptic quality of T. delbrueckii base wines was considered unusual for cava making. While S. cerevisiae (single or mixed with T. delbrueckii) completed the second fermentation to produce dry sparkling wines with high CO2 pressure, single T. delbrueckii did not complete this fermentation, leaving sweet wines with low CO2 pressure. Death due to CO2 pressure was much higher in T. delbrueckii than in S. cerevisiae, making any killer effect of S. cerevisiae on T. delbrueckii irrelevant. However, the organoleptic quality of cava inoculated with mixtures of the two yeast species was better than that of wine inoculated exclusively with S. cerevisiae, and no deterioration in the quality of the foam was observed.

Inactivation of Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in dry and sweet wines by high hydrostatic pressure

The aim of the research was to investigate a potential application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) for reduction/elimination of Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in wines. Dry red wine was inoculated with B. bruxellensis and sweet white wine was inoculated with S. cerevisiae yeast. Both wines were treated by HHP under 100 and 200 MPa for 1, 3, 5, 15 and 25 min. The culturability was determined immediately after the treatment and again after 30, 60 and 90 days of storage. The phenolic content and chromatic characteristics were evaluated spectrophotometrically immediately after the treatment and after 90 days of storage. The culturability of B. bruxellensis was not confirmed immediately after the most invasive treatment (200 MPa for 15 and 25 min). With the same parameters, only a decrease in the culturability of S. cerevisiae was observed. During storage, opposing results were observed for two yeasts treated with 200 MPa for 15 and 25 min: there was a complete reduction of S. cerevisiae in the wine treated, but the culturability of B. bruxellensis completely recovered in all wines, implying that B. bruxellensis yeast entered a viable but not culturable (VBNC) state after HHP exposure. Regarding the chemical analyses, applied process parameters induced a slight decrease of anthocyanins in red wine, while changes of total phenolics and total colour difference value were negligible. In conclusion, HHP could potentially be successful for microbial stabilisation of sweet wines and consequently assure a lower use of sulphur dioxide, while inactivation of B. bruxellensis could only be successful in the early stages of wine contamination.

Use of Sensory Analysis to Investigate the Influence of Climate Chambers and Other Process Variables in the Production of Sweet Wines

In this study, a climate chamber, as an alternative method, has been used to dry raisins and the sensory profiles of the sweet sherry wines obtained have been evaluated. Other important factors, namely grape variety, vintage, vinification conditions, as well as the ageing method and its length of time, have also been considered. When heavy rainfall had been registered, the musts extracted from grapes dried under controlled conditions in a climate chamber showed a lower intensity of the musty off-odor compared to those elaborated with sun-dried grapes. The wine fermented at low temperature with Saccharomyces bayanus scored the highest in citric and floral notes, and this was preferred over all the other wines that were evaluated. The wines aged in oak barrels were preferred to both, wines aged in the presence of oak chips as well as those aged without any wood contact. The use of climate chambers to dry the grapes that are going to be used for the elaboration of sweet wines appears to be an advantageous alternative to the traditional method, since it allows a more precise control of the process and highly valued sweet wines from a sensory point of view are obtained thereby.

ASCORBIC ACID AND PHENOLIC SUBSTANCES IN THE UNFORTIFIED WILD STRAWBERRY WINE MATERIALS

The content of ascorbic acid and phenolic substances in natural juices and unfortified wine materials from garden strawberries of Polka and Pegas varieties was investigated. The content of ascorbic acid was 271-417 mg/dm3 and of phenolic substances – 1280-1500 mg/dm3. The content of these ingredients depends on the variety characteristics (dominant influence) and the weather conditions of the growing season. 230 g of white sugar was added to one dm3 of strawberry juice for the production of unfortified wine materials intended for sweet wines. The wort was pasteurized at 85°C for 5 minutes, cooled and fermented using active dry yeast: the race EC 1118 (France), ENSIS LE-C1, ENSIS LE-1, ENSIS LE-5, ENSIS LE-6 (Spain) in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. It has been found that the content of ascorbic acid and phenolic substances decreases during wort preparation and fermentation. The average loss of ascorbic acid during wort preparation is 17.4% and of phenolic substances – from 1.1 to 4.9%. The reduction in the content of these components due to the dilution of sugar during wort preparation is 14-15%. The duration of fermentation of strawberry worts with an initial mass concentration of invert sugars 274 g/ dm3 is 70-77 days. The output of cleared wine material after fermentation depends on the variety characteristics, the year conditions and the yeast race used, and ranges from 86.9 to 92.7%. Loss of ascorbic acid during wort fermentation averages 49.3%, phenolic substances 21.6%. Ascorbic acid content of 86-158 mg/dm3 and phenolic substances of 720–1080 mg/dm3 were found in unfortified strawberry wines. In particular, according to the average data of two years, the content of phenolic substances in the wine materials from strawberries of the Polka variety were 197 mg/dm3 higher than their content in the wine materials from the berries of the Pegas variety. The content of ascorbic acid in wine materials in relation to the content in the juices corresponding to fresh berries is 25.4-41.3%, on average – 33.6%; of phenolic substances – 56.2-72.0%, on average 62.6%. In order to better preserve the ascorbic acid, the ENSISLE-C1 yeast race (Spain) and the phenolic substances EC-1118 (France) should be used. The results of studies confirm that unfortified sweet wines from wild strawberries can be attributed to the products with health-promoting properties.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE BLENDING TECHNOLOGY OF MEDIUM DRY AND SEMI-SWEET WHITE TABLE WINES

The paper reviews the literature on the existing technologies of medium dry and semi-sweet table wines. The main problems of manufacturing this type of wines have been outlined, as well as how they are solved by domestic and foreign winemakers. The classical scheme of producing medium dry and semi-sweet wines allows retaining the aroma of a certain grape variety and obtaining quality wines, but it is not applied in Ukraine as it is technologically complicated and costly. The scheme that involves blending is far more economical, but does not allow retaining all the fine aromatic nuances of a variety. So, the article considers the ways of obtaining medium dry and semi-sweet wines using grape must that has been concentrated by freezing. It has been shown that this technology will allow retaining the valuable substances of the variety aroma and will be the basis for producing the highest-quality wines of this type. For the research, the following samples have been analysed: clarified must of the Rkatsiteli and Citronny Magaracha grape varieties, must concentrated by freezing, vacuum must, dry wine materials, and the medium dry white table wines made from them. In the musts and wines, the main physical and chemical characteristics have been studied (the mass concentrations of sugar, titrated acids, total and free sulphur dioxide), as well as some additional parameters (the pH, mass concentrations of phenolic substances, free and bound terpene alcohols, optical density with the wavelength 420 nm). The mass concentrations of volatile acids and the sensory characteristics of the wine materials and wines have been determined, too. The research has shown that in the medium dry wines obtained by cryotechnology, the concentrations of free terpene compounds increased from 1.01 mg/dm3 to 1.21 mg/dm3 in Rkatsiteli, and from 2.89 mg/dm3 to 3.24 mg/dm3 in Citronny Magaracha. The flavour and aroma improved substantially, too. So, the blending technology of producing medium dry and semi-sweet table wines using cryomust allows retaining, to the greatest possible degree, the bright and peculiar aroma of the grape variety, and obtaining the highest-quality wines of this type.

Effect of information on consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for sparkling mock wines

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of information about alcohol content, organic labelling and packaging on consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) of non-alcoholic sparkling mock wines. Design/methodology/approach In a two-step study, the consumer’s expectations and overall liking of two novel brands of mock wines were investigated by focus groups followed by a common hedonic test combined with a choice experiment aimed at measuring consumer WTP. A total of 240 consumers were assigned to two tasting groups of equal size: all were presented at least one brand of mock wine, while drinkers also tasted a familiar brand of low-alcohol sweet sparkling wine. A paper-and-pencil choice experiment followed the tasting sessions. Findings The results demonstrate that participants in blind or manipulated “informed” conditions are not able to discriminate among mock wines and wine, whereas significant differences in preferences for brands under investigation appeared when labels and other information were disclosed. In effect, drinkers and non-drinkers did not differ in hedonic scores of mock wines. While younger participants exhibited the highest scores in blind liking, the overall expected liking is significantly higher for non-drinkers and women if compared, respectively, to drinkers and men. WTP for mock wines is influenced by taste, glass bottle packaging and the organic label, while mock-wine colour is not relevant. Research limitations/implications Although limited in sample size and representativeness, this study has brought some new insights into the consumption of non-alcoholic mock wines. In this study, a significant influence of blind sensory liking on WTP is demonstrated. This result has theoretical implications: while the effect of product information on WTP is well established, the relationship between hedonic scores and WTP – while theoretically consistent – is not so clear-cut in the literature. Further research is needed to confirm/disconfirm these findings. Practical implications Sparkling no-alcohol mock wines, despite their sweetness, appear not different in taste to medium-to-low APV (7.5 per cent) sweet wines. Originality/value The paper suggests that marketing of mock (no-alcohol) wines needs careful branding to elicit significant hedonic effects, while interacting sensory (blind liking) scores with price information in choice models may help to represent taste heterogeneity in WTP estimates in a better way.

ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy Coupled with Chemical and Chemometric Analysis to Distinguish Between Some Sweet Wines

FTIR Spectroscopy correlated with some chemical characteristics and chemometric analysis have been applied to distinguish between sweet wines obtained from different Romanian varieties and Canadian icewine. Chemical analyses differentiate the two categories of origin in terms of sugar content, acidity and total polyphenol content but are expensive and time-consuming. Principal Component Analysis were performed using different regions of FT-MIR spectra for all wines. Principal Component Analysis of their chemical parameters indicated that the wines can be discriminated based on their different phenolic, carbohydrates, polyols content and geographical origin. FTIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometry is a profitable technique for distinguishing between different wines and validates the results obtained by chemical analysis.

INFLUENCE OF PACKAGING ON THE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND ORGANOLEPTIC EVALUATION OF TABLE WINE

Определены физико-химические показатели 12 образцов сухих и полусладких белых и красных столовых вин, выработанных одним предприятием и разлитых в стеклобутылку (СБ), бутылку из полиэтилентерефталата и упаковку «пакет в коробке» (ПВК) в феврале 2018 г. холодным и горячим способами, с целью установления влияния упаковки на изменение органолептического состава и физико-химических показателей столовых вин. Физико-химический анализ и дегустация представленных образцов столовых вин проведены в марте 2018 г. с использованием общепринятых методик. Установлено, что через месяц после розлива в упаковку все опытные образцы соответствовали требованиям действующей нормативной документации на данный вид продукции и обладали оптимальными физико-химическими показателями, кроме образца полусладкого красного вина в СБ, который на момент анализа был подвержен микробиологическому воздействию. Во всех исследованных образцах столовых вин обнаружен 1,2-пропиленгликоль, но его содержание не превышало допустимых норм. По итогам дегустации для сухих столовых вин рекомендован розлив в СБ, поскольку холодный розлив, применяемый при этом виде упаковки, практически не влияет на изменение органолептических характеристик продукта. Для полусладких вин рекомендуется горячий розлив, поскольку он препятствует забраживанию и задушке вина, а розлив в упаковку ПВК позволяет сохранять качество вина. Physico-chemical parameters of 12 samples of dry and semi-sweet white and red table wines produced by one enterprise and poured into a glass bottle (GB), a bottle of polyethylene terephthalate and a bag-in-box in February 2018 by cold and hot methods were determined in order to establish the influence of packaging on the change in the organoleptic composition and physico-chemical characteristics of table wines. Physical and chemical analysis and tasting of the presented samples of table wines were carried out in March 2018 using generally accepted methods. It was found that a month after filling in the package, all prototypes met the requirements of the current regulatory documentation for this type of product and had optimal physico-chemical parameters, except for the sample of semi-sweet red wine in the GB, which at the time of analysis was exposed to microbiological effects. In all the studied samples of table wines 1,2-propylene glycol was found, but its content did not exceed the permissible norms. Following the results of the tasting, bottling in the GB is recommended for dry table wines, since the cold bottling used in this type of packaging practically does not affect the change in the organoleptic characteristics of the product. For sweet wines it is recommended that hot-filling because it prevents fermenting and suffocating wine and bottling in bag-in-box allows to preserve the quality of the wine.