Terroir Dynamics: Impact of Vineyard and Canopy Treatment with Chitosan on Anthocyanins, Phenolics, and Volatile and Sensory Profiles of Pinot Noir Wines from South Tyrol.

The effects of canopy treatment with chitosan and the effects of the vineyard location on the quality parameters, volatile and non-volatile profiles, and sensory profile of Pinot Noir wines from South Tyrol (Italy) were studied. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to identify the most relevant compounds associated with the variability in phenolics and anthocyanins (analyzed by UHPLC-MS), volatile components (HS-SPME-GCxGC-ToF/MS), and basic enological parameters. A clear separation of low-altitude wines (350 m.a.s.l.), which had a high concentration of most of the identified volatile compounds, compared to high-altitude wines (800 and 1050-1150 m.a.s.l.) was pointed out. Low altitude minimized the concentration of the most significant anthocyanins in wines from a valley bottom, presumably due to reduced sun exposure. Wines obtained from chitosan-treated canopies, and, more particularly, those subjected to multiple treatments per year showed a higher amount of the main non-volatile phenolics and were sensorially described as having "unpleasant flavors" and "odors", which might suggest that grape metabolism is slightly altered compared to untreated grapevines. Thus, optimization of the treatment with chitosan should be further investigated.

Effects of pre- and post-fermentative practices on oligomeric cyclic and non-cyclic condensed tannins in wine from Schiava grapes.

The effects of a) pre-fermentative freezing of the grapes (- 20 °C for two weeks); b) inoculation of the grape must with Saccharomycescerevisiae yeast, or co-inoculation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and Oenococcus oenibacteria; c) vinification with or without fermentative maceration, and d) cold stabilization with or without bentonite treatment, were studied on the profile of oligomeric condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins, PAC) with non-cyclic or macrocyclic structures in wines made from Schiava cv., a red grape variety. The samples were evaluated just before inoculation and at the bottling of the wine. Commercial Schiava wines from two different producers stored at six and eighteen months were also studied for the effect of artificially introduced dissolved oxygen, and half of these bottles were subjected to periodic mechanical stress for one year, to see the effects on the PAC profile. Freezing of the grapes increased the extraction of all non-cyclic PAC in the must, whereas tetrameric, pentameric, and hexameric cyclic procyanidins (m/z 1153, m/z 1441, m/z 1729, respectively) were not affected; only a tetrameric cyclic prodelphinidin ( m/z 1169) showed a more similar trend to the non-cyclic PAC. In wines at bottling, cyclic procyanidins were higher in wines obtained by fermentative maceration (as well as most non-cyclic congeners); however, the significance of these differences depended on specific interactions between the factors. In contrast, no effect was found on the cyclic tetrameric prodelphinidin (m/z 1169). Bentonite treatment showed no significant effect on either oligomeric non-cyclic or cyclic PAC profiles. The addition of dissolved oxygen led to a significant decrease in non-cyclic trimeric and tetrameric PAC in the samples with respect to the control ones; however, the addition of dissolved oxygen did not influence the profile of the cyclic PAC. This study sheds new light on the substantial differences in the behaviour of the cyclic and non-cyclic oligomeric PAC in red wine in relation to the vinification process and in the bottle. Cyclic oligomeric PAC were more stable and less influenced by applied factors than linear PAC, again proving to be potential markers for the grape variety of wine.

Decoding the Identity of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir Wines: A Comprehensive Chemometric Fusion of Sensory (from Dual Panel) and Chemical Analysis.

Quantitative relations between the sensory overall quality (OQJ) of commercial single grape variety Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines, defined using specific sensory attributes, and the most influencing chemical components were investigated in commercial wines from different international origins. Multiple factor analysis (MFA) was applied to achieve a comprehensive map of the quality of the samples while multivariate regression models were applied to each varietal wine to determine the sensory attributes influencing OQJ the most and to understand how the combinations of the volatile compounds influenced the olfactory sensory attributes. For Pinot Gris wine, OQJ was positively correlated with sensory attributes, like "floral" aroma, "stone-fruit" flavor, "yellow" color, "caramelized" aroma, and "tropical fruit" aroma according to an Italian panel. For Pinot Noir wine, "licorice" aroma, "cloves" aroma, "fresh wood" aroma, "red fruit" flavor, "cherry" aroma, and "spicy" flavor were positively correlated with OQJ by the same panel. Important predictors for the wine quality of Pinot Gris could be characterized, but not for Pinot Noir. Additionally, sensory tests were also carried out by different panel compositions (German and Italian). Both the German and the Italian panels preferred (based on OQJ) a Pinot Gris wine from New Zealand (Gisborne), but for different perceived characteristics (fruity and aromatic notes by the Italian panel and acidity by the German panel). For Pinot Noir, different panel compositions influenced the OQJ of the wines, as the wines from Chile (with more spicy, red fruit and woody notes) were preferred by the Italian panel, while the German panels preferred the wines from Argentina (with light, subtle woody and red fruit notes). The profile of cyclic and non-cyclic proanthocyanidins was also evaluated in the two varietal wines. No clear effect of the origin was observed, but the wines from Italy (Sicily/Puglia) were separated from the rest and were characterized by percentage ratio chemical indexes (%C-4) and (%C-5) for both varieties.

Fusion of 2DGC-MS, HPLC-MS and Sensory Data to Assist Decision-Making in the Marketing of International Monovarietal Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc Wines.

Monovarietal wines produced in different wine-growing areas may have completely different sensory profiles. As a result, they may be suitable for sale in different regions, depending on local preferences. Better insight into the sensory and chemical profiles of these wines can be helpful in further optimizing commercial strategies and matching supply and demand, which is the main challenge for global wine traders. The training of dedicated sensory panels, together with the correlation of the evaluated attributes with chemical parameters, followed by validation of the obtained models, may yield an improved picture of the overall features associated with products from a specific region. Eighteen samples of international Chardonnay and eighteen samples of international Sauvignon Blanc wines were collected from nine world origins (Northern Italy, Southern Italy, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa). The overall quality judgement (OQJ) and the sensory attributes were evaluated by a panel trained with a MRATA (Modified Rate-All-That-Apply) method. Moreover, volatile compounds were analysed by HS-SPME-GC × GC-ToF/MS and the phenolic composition, including proanthocyanidins, was determined using HPLC-QqQ/MS. The processing of the data using different multivariate analysis methods, such as multiple factor analysis (MFA), was essential to gain insight into the quality of the samples. The profile of cyclic and non-cyclic oligomeric proanthocyanidins was found to be substantially dependent on the grape variety used in the wines (varietal markers), despite the country of origin of the wine influencing it to a limited extent. The results from the same samples analysed by a sensory panel from Germany and ours were qualitatively compared, highlighting the presence of potential factors inherent to the panels themselves that could influence the different judgments and quality classification of the wines. Consequently, the combination of sensory and chemical analysis, by means of the application of multivariate statistical methods presented in this study proves to be a powerful tool for a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the quality of the wines under investigation. Overall quality was described as a combination of the sensory attributes, according to the perception process. The attributes were in turn described based on the chemical profiles, which were determined independently by analytical techniques. Eventually, this approach can be very useful not only for basic research on wine quality but also as a tool to aid business-related decision-making activities of wineries and wine traders and to create models that can aid the refinement of marketing strategies.