Impact of Oxygen Dissolved at Bottling and Transmitted through Closures on the Composition and Sensory Properties of a Sauvignon Blanc Wine during Bottle Storage

Abstract

This work outlines the results from an investigation to determine the effect of the oxygen dissolved at bottling and the specific oxygen barrier properties of commercially available closures on the composition, color and sensory properties of a Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc wine during two years of storage. The importance of oxygen for wine development after bottling was also assessed using an airtight bottle ampule. Wines were assessed for the antioxidants (SO(2) and ascorbic acid), varietal thiols (4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one, 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol), hydrogen sulfide and sotolon content, and color throughout 24 months of storage. In addition, the aroma and palate properties of wines were also assessed. The combination of oxygen dissolved at bottling and the oxygen transferred through closures has a significant effect on Sauvignon Blanc development after bottling. Wines highly exposed to oxygen at bottling and those sealed with a synthetic, Nomacorc classic closure, highly permeable to oxygen, were relatively oxidized in aroma, brown in color, and low in antioxidants and volatile compounds compared to wines sealed with other closures. Conversely, wines sealed under more airtight conditions, bottle ampule and screw cap Saran-tin, have the slowest rate of browning, and displayed the greatest contents of antioxidants and varietal thiols, but also high levels of H(2)S, which were responsible for the reduced dominating character found in these wines, while wines sealed with cork stoppers and screw cap Saranex presented negligible reduced and oxidized characters.

Sauvignon Blanc Wine: Contribution of Ageing and Oxygen on Aromatic and Non-aromatic Compounds and Sensory Composition : A Review

“…Various closure permeability studies have been performed to assess the effect of oxygen and ageing on the quality of young white wines (Godden et al, 2001;Brajkovich et al, 2005;Lopes et al, 2005;Skouroumounis et al, 2005a). Generally speaking, the conclusion of these studies is that less permeable closures allow better preservation of the fresh and fruity character of the wine, presumably by preventing the oxidative loss of pleasant aroma compounds (Lopes et al, 2009).…”

“…Closures not allowing sufficient oxygen ingress could lead to the formation of the compounds contributing to the 'reductive' aroma (Godden et al, 2001;Skouroumounis et al, 2005a;Kwiatkowski et al, 2007;Lopes et al, 2009). Conversely, oxidative loss of aromatic compounds and the evolution of undesirable aroma compounds will occur with excessive oxygen exposure.…”

“…It can be concluded that a moderate degree of oxygen exposure allows the expression of optimal aroma attributes (Brajkovich et al, 2005;Lopes et al, 2009;Ugliano et al, 2009;Nygaard et al, 2010); however, the actual degree of oxygen exposure that is necessary to achieve this has not been determined. Very few such studies on Sauvignon blanc wine have actually included precise oxygen measurements (Brajkovich et al, 2005;Lopes et al, 2009;Ugliano et al, 2011), thus still making it difficult to define how much oxygen would be beneficial for wine during bottle ageing.…”

“…Very few such studies on Sauvignon blanc wine have actually included precise oxygen measurements (Brajkovich et al, 2005;Lopes et al, 2009;Ugliano et al, 2011), thus still making it difficult to define how much oxygen would be beneficial for wine during bottle ageing. The type (variety and composition) and style (winemaking practices such as wood contact) of the wine are also expected to play a crucial role in the amount of oxygen required to achieve the ideal wine.…”

“…The volatile thiols are particularly susceptible to oxidation during ageing (Murat et al, 2003;Blanchard et al, 2004), and various packaging and ageing studies have reported the decrease of the volatile thiols during storage (Murat, 2005;Lopes et al, 2009;Herbst-Johnstone et al, 2011;Ghidossi et al, 2012). The volatile thiols 3MH and 3MHA were also found to mainly decrease in Sauvignon blanc wines that were exposed to repetitive oxidation (Coetzee, 2014).…”