Phenolic Characterization of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines From Different Geographical Indications of Mendoza, Argentina: Effects of Plant Material and Environment

Abstract

The chemical and sensory characteristics of the wines are related to the geographical origin of the grape, as a result of the interplay between the plant material (G), its acclimatization to the environment (E) and the human factor that influences both the vineyard and the winery. The range of phenotypes that a single genotype can express depending on its environment is known as phenotypic plasticity and is the result of G × E interaction. The present study evaluated the independent and interactive effects of Cabernet Sauvignon plant materials (G: Clone 7 and Mount Eden) implanted in different geographical indications of Mendoza, Argentina (E: Agrelo, Pampa El Cepillo, Altamira and Gualtallary) according to fruit yield and phenolic profiles of wines. The experiment was carried out during 2018 and 2019 vintages using a multifactorial design. When berries reached 24 °Brix, the clusters were harvested, analyzed and wines elaborated by a standardized procedure. Then, the anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic profiles of wines were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and fluorescence detection (HPLC-DAD–FLD). The results revealed significant G × E interactions for yield traits, including the number of clusters per plant. Differential chemical composition and quality parameters of the resulting wines, markedly affected by E, were observed; that is the geographical location of the vineyards. There were similarities in the phenolic composition between Pampa El Cepillo and Altamira, while larger differences between Agrelo and Gualtallary were observed. Gualtallary presented the highest levels of anthocyanins, quercetin and trans-resveratrol. The increased amount of these compounds in Gualtallary was associated with an increased UV-B exposure of plants at this high altitude environment. This is the first report that characterizes the effects of plant material and environment for Cabernet Sauvignon. These results are of oenological and viticulture interest for the wine industry demonstrating that the selection of the plant material and the vineyard location for Cabernet Sauvignon can considerably affect the quality attributes of wines.

Adaptability of Different International Grape Varieties in Diverse Terroirs: Impact on Grape and Wine Composition

“…This grapevine adapts to a wide range of environments with a board phenotypic plasticity (including differential wine sensory attributes). Then, this variety has a high capacity of acclimatization to the different environments and adaptation to climate change [29][30][31].…”

“…According to several authors, it is expected that the combination of plant material (genotype), fungi and bacteria population (microbiome), soil and climate conditions, and all factors related with vineyard management and winemaking affect the quality of grapes and consequently the wines produced. Thus, interactions between all of these factors are usually mentioned as the "terroir" and are finally expressed in the grape composition and consequently in wine characteristics [31][32][33]. According to Magalhães [34], on the basis of these interactions, the concept of "terroir" has been extensively adopted for the majority of the authors.…”

“…The Cabernet Sauvignon grape represents about 7% of the vineyard area in Argentina. Recently, Muñoz et al [31] studied the chemical and sensory characteristics of the Cabernet wines in different geographical regions during 2018 and 2019 vintages. They concluded that this variety shows a good adaptability to the different Argentina wine regions; however, the selection of the plant material (different clones) combined with the terroir determines the quality attributes of the wines produced.…”

Climate Change Effects on Grapevine Physiology and Biochemistry: Benefits and Challenges of High Altitude as an Adaptation Strategy

“…Particularly, higher altitude tends to promote cyanidin-type or non-acylated anthocyanins ( Xing et al, 2016 ; Muñoz et al, 2021 ; Urvieta et al, 2021 ). Certainly, UV-B has been pointed out to be the main contributor to this effect by direct activation of the flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H)-mediated branch of the phenylpropanoid pathway in berry skins, which produces 3′,4′-hydroxylated flavonoids such as quercetin-type flavonols, cyanidin-type anthocyanins, catechin and epicatechin ( Berli et al, 2011 ; Martínez-Lüscher et al, 2014 ; Xing et al, 2016 ).…”

Flavor Chemical Profiles of Cabernet Sauvignon Wines: Six Vintages from 2013 to 2018 from the Eastern Foothills of the Ningxia Helan Mountains in China

“…In recent years, various studies on origin in various producing areas are still as a topic of great interest ongoing, such as elemental and phenolic analysis of Italian (Veneto, Umbria, and Friuli) wines, metabolomic profiles of Spanish (Rioja and Priorat) red wines, and color and volatile analyses of Australian (Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Northern and Southern Tasmania) wines, etc. [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Meanwhile, the study about wines of different grape varieties and origins, yeast strains, and spontaneous fermentation also strongly indicated that volatile chemical differences between wines were mainly driven by grape origin [ 18 ].…”