Evolution of the Aroma of Treixadura Wines during Bottle Aging

Abstract

Aroma is a crucial attribute for wine quality, particularly in white wines. Traditionally, the consumption of young white wines is recommended over the year following grape harvest due to potential aroma losses that would worsen wine quality. This study aimed to investigate the evolution of volatile compounds, odor activity value-based aroma notes, and sensory perception in Treixadura (Vitis vinifera L.) dry white wines during a 24-month bottle-aging period. Volatile composition was determined by gas chromatography, and wine sensory evaluation was performed by experts. Wine samples had similar volatile compositions at the time of bottling. The volatile contents of the wines were respectively 322.9, 302.7, 323.0, and 280.9 mg L−1 after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of bottle storage. Most of the volatiles tended to maintain constant concentrations, or with slight increases in all families of volatiles except for acetates and carbonyl compounds, until two years after harvest (18 months of bottle storage) and, then, concentrations reduced sharply. After 24 months of storage in the bottle, the concentrations of terpenes, C6 compounds, higher alcohols, ethyl esters, fatty acids, acetates, carbonyl compounds, and volatile phenols were reduced by 32%, 47%, 11%, 39%, 50%, 74%, 41%, and 54%, respectively. The 18-month bottle-aged wines showed the highest concentrations of volatiles, as well as the best performance in the sensory evaluation, suggesting that a good balance of the aroma attributes was achieved on this date. In conclusion, the current study suggests that Treixadura wines expressed their maximum aroma potential two years after grape harvest.

Bottle Aging and Storage of Wines: A Review

“…The main terpenols in wine are geraniol, linalool, and α-terpineol [ 128 ] Albeit most aromatic terpenols originate from terpenoids in the grape skin, they can be newly formed during aging in bottle by acid-catalyzed hydrolysys from geraniol to linalool and/or α-terpenol through carbocation intermediates [ 102 ]. In the same way, it has been found that linalool may give place to geraniol by reduction with an hydroxyl anion [ 101 ] Linalool and α-terpineol have been reported to steadily increase at 18 months of storage but then show significant degradation after 24 months in Treixadura wines [ 129 ]. This kinetic behavior of terpenols has been also reported in many types of wines [ 130 ].…”

A Review on Wine Flavour Profiles Altered by Bottle Aging

“…On the other hand, bottle aging not only evolves a more fruity aroma and softer mouth-feel than oak barrel aging [ 9 ], but also leads to increased phenolic content compared to aging in steel tanks [ 10 ]. This remains a hot topic in the wine-making industry [ 7 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Effects of Production Methods on Flavour Characteristics of Nonalcoholic Wine

“…e flavour profile of alcoholic wines has been found to contain higher alcohols and secondary metabolites like terpenes, monoterpenes, C-3 norisoprenoids, C-6 alcohols, among many others [79,80]. Studies have shown that these compounds are produced during the complete fermentation process and undergo biochemical interactions to produce a more pleasant flavour [38,46].…”