Dependence of wine sensory attributes on vine water status

The dependence of wine sensory attributes on the water status of the source vines was determined following vineyard irrigation treatments which included early and late season water deficits and continually irrigated vines. In both seasons, the experimental wines made from the different irrigation treatments did not differ in the concentration of residual sugar or ethanol, titratable acidity, or pH. The concentrations of anthocyanins and total soluble phenolics in the wines were greater from water deficit treatments than from continually irrigated vines. For sensory evaluation, a novel protocol for paired comparisons was developed to test separately for differences in wine appearance, flavour, taste and aroma; differences were detected for each wine comparison. In both seasons, continually irrigated wine differed from early and late season water deficit wine, and early season water deficit wine differed from late season water deficit wine in appearance, flavour, taste and aroma. The sensory differences were not attributable to differences in vine yield or fruit maturity. When professional wine tasters were sampled using similar tests, a majority was able to detect visual but not flavour differences between a selected pair of wines. It is concluded that, where vine water status can be altered, irrigation offers a means to manipulate wine sensory characteristics in the vineyard.     

A new closing Y‐shaped training system for grapevines

Background and Aims: Total leaf area and its distribution inside the canopy are known to influence the photosynthesis capacity as well as grape quality and health. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of a simple and innovative training system characterised by an open canopy called ‘SAYM’ (a closing Y‐shaped training system derived from the spur‐pruned single cordon and trained to an inclined shoot‐positioned trellis type) as well as the possibility of using traditional machines during harvesting and pruning after closing the structure just before grape harvesting. Methods and Results: The SAYM was applied on eight rows of 80 vines from an experimental Sangiovese vineyard and compared to vertically shoot‐positioned (VSP) trellis type during the 2004–2008 seasons. In comparison to VSP vines, the SAYM was able to reduce the incidence of botrytis rot and improve grape and wine quality (alcohol, anthocyanins, phenolics, tannins and colour intensity), while maintaining an adequate yield (about 13 t/ha) without significantly increasing the management operations of the vineyard. Conclusions: The SAYM was able to bring together economically and easily the advantages guaranteed by training systems characterised by horizontally divided canopy with the limitation of production costs by the use of traditional mechanical harvesters and pruners. Significance of the Study: SAYM can be proposed as a functional training system able to improve grape and wine quality, which is easy and inexpensive to manage.     

Polyphenols,anthocyanins, and trans-resveratrol in red wines from the Hungarian Villány region

Epidemiological data indicate that moderate red wine consumption leads to less coronary heart disease and shows anti-carcinogenic effects. Especially, red wine phenolics have been linked to these effects. Sixty-seven red wines from the Hungarian Villány region, of vintages from 1996 to 2003 were analysed for their polyphenolic and anthocyanin composition by means of RP-HPLC/UV–Vis. Varieties with generally high concentrations of polyphenols are Kékfrankos, Merlot and Zweigelt, while anthocyanin content was highest in Shiraz, Oportó, Kékfrankos and Zweigelt. In agreement with other authors, our results show that trans-resveratrol content is mainly dependent on variety and vintage year. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that flavan-3-ols and delphinidin- and petunidin-3-glucosides are mainly responsible for the separation of wines according to polyphenolic composition. We could not discriminate between varieties or wineries based on polyphenol content, but could for vintage years.     

避雨栽培对蛇龙珠果实及葡萄酒质量影响研究初报

研究避雨栽培对酿酒葡萄果实采收期、果实品质和葡萄酒质量的影响,为酿酒葡萄避雨栽培技术的实施提供理论依据.以蛇龙珠(Vitis vinifera L cv.Cabernet Gernischt)为材料,采用简单避雨方式和露地栽培(对照),在果实转色期后监测果实糖酸变化,并测定成熟果实还原糖、总酸、花色素、总酚和单宁等指标;采用小容器酿造工艺酿制蛇龙珠干红葡萄酒,测定葡萄酒的颜色、花色素、总酚和单宁等指标.结果表明:(1)避雨栽培推迟了蛇龙珠果实的成熟期;(2)避雨栽培对蛇龙珠果实花色素、葡萄果皮中单宁含量影响极显著,对其他指标没有显著影响;(3)避雨栽培对蛇龙珠干红葡萄酒花色素含量及颜色影响极显著,对总酚和单宁含量无显著影响.     

Validation of a Method for Analysis of Aroma Compounds in Red Wine using Liquid–Liquid Extraction and GC–MS

An analytical method for determination of volatile composition of wines using sample preparation by liquid–liquid extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry for separation and detection has been developed and validated. Extraction of volatile compounds was performed in dichloromethane, and 1-octanol was added as an internal standard. Kékfrankos red wine produced in Villány wine region in Hungary was used as a model wine for testing and validation of the method. The developed method allowed satisfactory determination of 33 volatile compounds in the wines. Compounds analyzed include alcohols, esters, lactones, fatty acids, furans, and nitrogen compounds. The calibration curves of the four reference compounds used (2-phenyl ethanol, ethyl nonanoate, butyrolactone, and tyrosol) were linear in all cases with correlation coefficients (R ²) ranging from 0.9951 to 0.9992. The accuracy of the method was checked with a standard addition method (recovery 92.2–103 %), showing good repeatability and reproducibility (RSD?<?10 %).     

Anthocyanin,phenolic composition,colour measurement and sensory analysis of BC commercial red wines

This research established a database of analytical values associated with 173 commercial red wines from 7 vintages (1995–2001), 4 varieties (Pinot noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon) and 13 vineyard locations within BC. Wines were analyzed for sulfur dioxide, pH, titratable acidity, phenolics, tartaric esters, flavonols, as well as copigmented, monomeric, polymeric, and total anthocyanins. Colour was evaluated using colour density, hue, and L, a¹, b¹ and chroma measurements. The sensory astringent qualities were characterized on a subset of 78 wines, using a panel of 12 judges. The panel evaluated the magnitude of the astringency, astringent aftertaste, oakiness and bitterness, as well as 3 astringent sub-qualities (surface roughness, drying, puckering). Data were analyzed by analysis of variance, principle component analyses, and canonical discriminant analyses to track the influence of variety, vintage and vineyard location. Trends were observable despite large variation in winemaking techniques. Red colour, colour density, copigmented, monomeric, polymeric and total anthocyanins were lowest in Pinot noir and highest in Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Younger wines had higher concentrations of copigmented, monomeric, and total anthocyanins than did older wines. Canonical discriminant analysis of the analytical and sensory determinations were successful in distinguishing the wines according to where the grapes were grown.     

Practical interventions that influence the sensory attributes of red wines related to the phenolic composition of grapes: a review

The phenolic composition of red wines is complex and intimately involved in colour, taste, mouth‐feel and aroma. There have been significant advances in knowledge of compounds with relatively simple structures, but understanding of those with more complex and probably diverse structures is challenging. A number of phenolic compounds may form temporary complexes with anthocyanins and/or be involved in reactions that lead to relatively stable coloured compounds. A wide range of phenolic compounds is implicated in the oral sensory attributes of red wines. Of particular importance are flavan‐3‐ols, including proanthocyanidins (PAs). The generally observed decline in the extractability of PAs during berry ripening is due to binding with cell wall material, which may occur within the developing berry and also from tissues brought into contact during processing. Studies have shown that exposure/reduced vigour results in an increasing proportion of skin PAs being extractable during wine making. Temperature and light influence anthocyanin with temperature probably being more important and the most sensitive stage being 1–3 weeks after véraison. Skin PAs are extracted earlier than those from seeds during wine‐making. Recent results suggest some rearrangement of skin and/or seed PAs occurs during vinification which involves the cleavage of large polymers or the aggregation of small ones. The polymeric material is particularly influential in wine astringency and is transformed by incorporation of anthocyanins into tannin‐like compounds during wine‐making and storage. Although some grape‐derived phenolic compounds contribute to the aroma of red wines, likely of greater importance are the effects of nonvolatile phenolics on the volatility of a diverse range of aroma compounds. Advances in analytical techniques are likely to provide greater insights into the structures and conformations of phenolic polymers and the role of cell wall material in relation to phenolic extraction and reaction during vinification. In relation to aroma, much more research is required to reveal the details of the interactions involving phenolics with volatile compounds. It seems likely that the ability to influence the relative extraction and subsequent reaction of skin and seed phenolics is important in the production of full colour, aromatic and long‐lived wines.     

Relationships between berry size,berry phenolic composition and wine quality scores for Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) from different pruning treatments and different vintages

Background and Aims: Commercial winemakers observed differences in wine sensory properties among wines produced from vines of three different pruning treatments in a single vineyard. To clarify the relationships between berries and wine quality, this study examined berry size and berry composition and the quality rating for wines produced from the pruning treatments. Methods and Results: The study was conducted over three seasons. Berries from Machine‐, Cane‐ and Spur‐pruned vines were sampled at commercial harvest for analysis of berry size and berry phenolic composition. Wines made from each treatment were assessed for quality by a panel of winemakers. Machine berries were lighter and had higher concentrations of anthocyanins, tannins and total phenolics than Cane or Spur. Machine wines had the lowest quality scores. Comparing vintages, berries from 2004 were lighter, but did not always differ in phenolic composition to other vintages, and wines from 2004 had lower quality scores than the other vintages. Vintage effects were generally stronger than pruning effects. Conclusions: In this study, high berry anthocyanins, total phenolics and tannin concentration measures were not good indicators of wine quality scores. Changes in vineyard treatments and, in particular, vintage influences, produce incremental, but potentially important, changes to berry size and composition and to wine quality. Significance of the Study: This study is unique in its focus on the commercial reality of producing wines to a specific style and quality, while bringing scientific rigour to investigating the relationships between berries and wine quality in this vineyard over a number of vintages.     

Changes in the color components and phenolic content of red wines from Vitis vinifera L. Cv. “Tempranillo” during vinification and aging

Changes in phenolics and color components during vinification and aging of Tempranillo wines were studied. Different phenolics display different diffusion into the must, and with the exception of proanthocyanidins and acetyl-glucoside anthocyanins, with maximum concentration at the end of postmaceration, the rest of the unacylated and coumarated anthocyanins, monomeric flavanols, and hydroxycinnamic acids reached their maximum at the end of alcoholic fermentation. This resulted in a significant increase in both wine color and stable color, mainly due to the formation of copigmentation complexes, although polymeric pigment formation was also important. Malolactic fermentation produced a significant decrease in flavonoid content while nonflavonoid concentrations were maintained, prompting a considerable loss in wine color, despite the dramatic increase in bisulfite-stable color. Wine oak aging did not produce any significant change in the studied parameters, while bottle aging reduced the level of monomeric anthocyanins and flavanols, and hydroxycinnamic acids. However, wine color remained stable due to a significant increase in stable color. Polymerization reactions of anthocyanins prevailed over pigment degradation reactions, and copigmentation was still relevant after 2 years of bottle aging.     

Element fingerprinting of Okanagan Valley wines using ICP-MS: Relationships between wine composition, vineyard and wine colour

Analysis of elements in wines by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) may help protect prestigious wineries from counterfeit wines and permit source confirmation for government certification. Thirty-three elements were determined in 17 white and 10 red wines from 13 Okanagan Valley (B.C, Canada) wineries. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) shows that red wines are similar to red wines and white wines similar to white wines. Apparently processing (contact between must and skins during fermentation) affects Li, Zn, Mo, Mg, Ba, Ca and P. However, wines from grapes from the same vineyard tend to be most similar, regardless of the vintage, grape variety or winery that processed the grapes. This implies that wine element 'fingerprints' are relict soil signatures that survive metabolic and winery processing. Elements in wines behave according to geochemical water solubility principals indicating that soil Eh, pH and complexion agents affect element uptake. There is no clear relationship between vintage year or grape variety and wine element composition. However, discriminant analysis indicates that combinations of elements (˜6) from several geochemical groups can accurately classify the wines according to vineyard. Twenty-five elements (Cu, Ni, Ca, Fe, B, Mg, As, Sb, Mn, Sn, P, Al, Zn, U, Sr, Cr, S, Co, Ba, La, Mo, Ti, Pb, Ce and V), determined with high precision by ICP-MS, correlate strongly with vineyard of origin. The limited number of wines available for study requires that conclusions be confirmed with future testing.     

Inhibitory Effects of Red Wine on Lipid Oxidation in Fish Oil Emulsion and Angiogenesis in Zebrafish Embryo

The capabilities of red wine against lipid oxidation and angiogenesis were evaluated by using a fish oil emulsion system and an in vivo zebrafish embryos model, respectively. The red wine contained 12 different antioxidant phenolics which levels were led by anthocyanins (140.46 mg/L), catechin (55.08 mg/L), and gallic acid (46.76 mg/L). The diversity of the phenolics in red wine was greater than the tea, coffee, or white wine selected as a peer control in this study. The total phenolics concentration of red wine was 305.53 mg/L, although the levels of tea, coffee, and white wine were 85.59, 76.85, and 26.57 mg/L, respectively. The activity of red wine in scavenging DPPH (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) free radicals was approximately 4 times higher than the tea and 8 times than the coffee or white wine. The red wine showed the highest capability in preventing long chain PUFA oxidation in the fish oil emulsion. Because of the outstanding antioxidant activity of red wine, the red wine dried extract was used to monitor its inhibitory effect against angiogenesis by using transgenic zebrafish embryos (Tg[fli1:egfp]^y1) with fluorescent blood vessels. After incubated in 100 μg/mL of the extract solution for 26 h pf, each of the embryos had a lower number of intersegmental vessel than the control embryo. The inhibition rate of red wine extract against growing of angiogenic blood vessel reached 100%.     

Effect of winemaking practices on color indexes and selected bioactive phenolics of Aglianico wine

ABSTRACT:  Phenolic compounds are responsible for the sensory properties of wine as well as the properties beneficial to human health. The objective of this study was to establish the effect of the use of SO₂ and pectolitic enzymes in the prefermentative phase, maceration time, and oak aging on color, anthocyanins, tannins, (+)-catechin, (–)-epicatechin, rutin, trans -resveratrol, and quercetin content of Aglianico wine. Color indexes and phenolics were analyzed by HPLC and spectrophotometric methods. The addition of SO₂ and pectolitic enzymes before fermentation caused an increase in color intensity, color stability, total phenolics, anthocyanins, (+)-catechin, (–)-epicatechin rutin, trans -resveratrol, and quercetin content in Aglianico wine. Longer maceration times gave wines richer in total phenolics and with better chromatic characteristics. Storage in oak caused a decrease in anthocyanins, (+)-catechin, (–)-epicatechin, trans -resveratrol, and quercetin content but an increase in total phenolic content, and a stabilizing effect on color also occurred.     

Wine quality: Correlations with colour density and anthocyanin equilibria in a group of young red wines

Following an exhibition of 32 current vintage red wines of two varieties from the Southern Vales district of South Australia, a correlation was observed between colour densities and the order of ranking previously assigned by a panel of experienced judges. There was no relation between wine colour density and anthocyanin content. Amongst many wines having comparable levels of anthocyanins, the variation in colour density was as much as 3.6-fold, and the degree of ionisation of the anthocyanin component of wine colour was found to range from 6 to 25%. These latter values were also correlated with the quality ratings. The data support the opinion that measurement of colour density and of the degree of ionisation of anthocyanins can provide an objective guide to organoleptic properties in young wines of the same variety and region. Confirmation for this view was obtained from other data concerning the subsequent vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the same district. Factors likely to be responsible for the varying states of anthocyanin equilibria in these wines are discussed in terms of wine composition and oenological practice.     

Anthocyanin pattern of Tempranillo wines during ageing in oak barrels and storage in stainless-steel tanks

The anthocyanin fingerprint of Tempranillo wines made with grapes from two different vineyards of Rioja Alta has been studied by high-performance liquid chroatography during their ageing in oak barrels and their storage in stainless-steel tanks. The data were submitted to multifactorial analysis of variance, taking into account several factors: vineyard, age of wines, type of wine (free run wine and a coupage of free run wine and press wine), and type of container (oak barrels or stainless-steel tanks). The results indicate that both the length of ageing or storage and the vineyard where the grapes were grown affect the anthocyanin fingerprint of wines. The effect of the other two factors (type of wine and type of container) on the anthocyanin fingerprint of wines was quite low, despite the differences observed in several spectrophotometric parameters related to colour and phenolics.     

Quantification of time trends in vintage scores and their variability for major wine regions of Australia

This paper quantifies time‐trends of vintage scores and their variability in 24 wine regions of Australia. Our working hypotheses are that, owing to improved crop husbandry and winemaking techniques, (1) vintage scores had increased with time, and (2) variability in vintage scores had decreased with time, whereas (3) interactions between improved technologies and climate should be reflected in temperature‐related time trends of vintage score and its variability. Published data were used to calculate rates of change in vintage score and its variability for the period 1980–2005. Rates were calculated as the slopes of regressions between two dependent variables, i.e. 3‐year running average of vintage score (10‐point scale) and 3‐year running coefficient of variation of vintage score (%), and year of vintage as independent variable. The statistical agreement (r= 0.86, P < 0.05) between rates of change in vintage score derived from two independent sources indicated the vintage scores used in this analysis were fairly robust. Our analysis supported the hypotheses of improvement in vintage score and reduction in variability. More importantly, we provide a quantitative assessment of these trends: the rate of change in vintage scores averaged 0.09 per year, ranged from –0.07 to 0.20 per year, was dominantly positive (35 out of 48 cases), and significant (P < 0.05) in 29 cases, whereas the rate of change in variability of vintage scores averaged –0.52%/year, ranged from –2.1 to 0.8%/year, was dominantly negative (37 out of 48 cases), and significant (P < 0.05) in 19 cases. Consistent with hypothesis 3, the rate of change in vintage score for red wine and the rate of change in variability of vintage score for white wine, were inversely related to temperature (long‐term daily mean during the month prior to harvest in each of the regions). By contrast, the rate of change in vintage score for white wine and the rate of change in variability of vintage score for red wine were unrelated to daily mean regional temperature. Owing to the intricate correlations between climate variables, however, the associations between change in vintage scores and temperature cannot be interpreted in terms of cause and effect.     

Phenolics from Winemaking By‐Products Better Decrease VLDL‐Cholesterol and Triacylglycerol Levels than Those of Red Wine in Wistar Rats

Winemaking by‐products account for more than 30% of the grape production, but this inexpensive feedstock has not yet been fully exploited. Accordingly, we evaluated the potential biological activity of winemaking by‐products produced with Syrah grapes in comparison with those of the wine produced using the same grape cultivar. Winemaking by‐products showed higher contents of total anthocyanins, flavonols, stilbenes, and flavanols than red wine as evaluated by HPLC‐DAD‐FD (on a dry weight basis). In contrast, red wine was a better source of phenolic acids. However, the contribution of phenolic acids was minor for both samples. Furthermore, equivalent concentration of winemaking by‐products (100 mg/kg/d) showed greater biological activity by than that of red wine by decreasing the levels of VLDL‐cholesterol and triacylglycerols in Wistar rats. Therefore, this study supports the use of winemaking by‐products as an economical source of bioactive phenolics with potential use in the food and nutraceutical industries.     

Oenological tannins: a review

This review is a state‐of‐the‐art summary of current literature on the commercial oenological tannins that are often added to wine. These tannins can come from different origins, which affect their composition and characteristics. The two main sources of oenological tannins are grapes and oak wood. This review describes methods to quantify and characterise oenological tannins and indicates that these methods also need to be improved. These tannins have different interactions with proteins as well as with wine components such as anthocyanins and other phenolics in wine. The suppliers of commercial tannins often emphasise that these products can stabilise colour in red wine and influence the mouthfeel of the wine, among other things. The literature, however, suggests that the addition of these tannins often does not lead to large differences in the chemical profile of the wine and sometimes even leads to unwanted sensory characters being observed in the wine. More research clearly is needed regarding the role of oenological tannins in wine.     

The effect of some processing variables on non-coloured phenolic compounds in port wines

The non-coloured phenolic fraction of fortified port wines was studied. Trials using several mash-extraction techniques which may be used during port wine making were evaluated for their effectiveness by measuring qualitative and quantitative differences in phenolics. Total phenolic compounds measured by spectrophotometry and HPLC analysis were compared, and the greater values obtained using spectrophotometry are attributable to the contribution of anthocyanins and non-phenolic UV-absorbing compounds. Quantitative and qualitative differences in composition were observed depending on the extraction mode. The greatest total phenolic content was found in port wine made by traditional foot treading, while early addition of extra alcohol to the mash had a neutral or negative effect on the yield of phenolic compounds.