Aromatic ripeness may be the type of maturity that impacts red wine typicity the most. Part I: the aromas involved in aromatic ripeness Sourced from the research article: “Aromatic maturity is a cornerstone of terroir expression in red wine” (OENO One, 2022). Original language of the article: English.
Harvesting grapes at the appropriate maturity is key to the production of high quality red wines. Viticulturists, oenologists and winemakers define several types of maturity: technological, phenolic and aromatic. Aromatic maturity is probably the most important for determining wine quality and typicity, including terroir expression. This article (part I) reviews the state-of-the-art of compounds underpinning aromatic maturity; the influence of terroir factors and management practices are addressed in a follow-up article (part II).
Different types of maturity
Quality and typicity are much valued attributes of wine, both contributing to the consumer’s willingness to pay. As perceived in sensory assessments of wine, typicity is the result of complex interactions between numerous molecular compounds, and involves the collective knowledge about the sensory characteristics of the product
Unlike other phenological stages, such as budburst, flowering and veraison, maturity is not an easy stage to distinctly define. Viticulturists, oenologists and winemakers recognise different types of maturity: technological, phenolic and aromatic. They strive to find the best possible compromise between these types of maturity, depending on the style of wine they want to produce. Technological maturity has been defined by Carbonneau et al. (1998)
Figure 1. Aroma wheel with increasing levels of aromatic maturity nuances.
Different types of aromas depending on perceived level of ripeness
In the following subsections, grape and wine aromas are presented in increasing levels of perceived aromatic maturity.
Green aromas
Undesirable green aromas in wines are reminiscent of tomato leaves, freshly mowed grass or green pepper (induced by methoxypyrazines). The latter are generally not appreciated in red wine when their presence is well above the olfactory detection threshold.
Fresh minty and herbal aromas
1,8-cineole and 1,4-cineole can contribute to fresh green aromas like menthol, mint and Eucalyptus in red wines
Spicy aromas
(-)-rotundone is a sesquiterpene, responsible for black pepper notes. It was first identified in Syrah, but it is also present in several other varieties like Mourvèdre
Floral aromas
Many compounds contributing to floral aromas in wines have been identified. These compounds can have a varietal origin or be produced during alcoholic fermentation due to yeast metabolism. Several monoterpenes (e.g., linalool, geraniol and citronellol) are responsible for flowery-muscat-like or iris flower aromas. Among norisoprenoids, β-ionone contributes to violet aromas
Fresh fruit aromas
Many compounds belonging to several chemical families contribute to fresh fruit aromas, including several types of esters, in particular substituted ethyl esters (red fruit and black fruit) and volatile thiols (grapefruit). DMS enhances fruitiness in wines at low concentrations, as does β-damascenone.
Ripe fruit aromas
Furaneol and homofuraneol, which have the aroma of strawberry jam and caramel, have been found to affect the perception of ripe red fruit notes in young red wine. Like for fresh fruit aromas, DMS can enhance ripe fruit aromas, in particular notes of blackcurrant liquor.
Dried fruit, cooked fruit, and oxidized prune aromas
Several compounds have been identified as contributing to dried and cooked fruit aromas, including 3-methyl-2,4-nonanedione (MND), massoia lactone, 1,5-octadien-3-one, γ-nonalactone, and furaneol. Oxidized prune aromas, which are not desirable in red wine, are associated with the presence of MND.
Assessment of aromatic maturity
Excessively green or overripe aromas diminish the quality of red wine. In the spectrum of aromas comprising herbal to dried fruit aromas (Figure 1), aromatic maturity contributes to the typicity of wine. The influence of terroir factors and management practices on this aromatic typicity is addressed in a follow-up article (Part II). Growers, oenologists, winemakers and consultants need to have a precise idea about the desired level of aromatic maturity in relation to the wine style intended. To a certain extent, aromatic maturity can be assessed by the sensory evaluation of grape berries, although this requires intensive training of the technical staff to obtain homogeneous results. Sensory evaluation works reasonably well on green and cooked fruit aromas, which can both be detected in grapes and young wines. The associated aroma compounds have been identified as IBMP (3-isobutyl-2-méthoxypyrazine) for green and MND for cooked fruit aromas. IBMP is transferred from grapes to wines without chemical transformation, whereas the precise origin of the synthesis of MND is still under investigation. Hence, this sensory approach can be completed with chemical analysis. Many aroma compounds, however, are present in grapes in odourless bound forms and released during either fermentation or ageing. Other compounds, including esters, are formed during alcoholic fermentation. Hence, it is not possible to assess the level of aromatic maturity that will be exhibited in the wine by only tasting the berries. To obtain the desired level of aromatic ripeness, harvest decisions should be based on (1) the analysis of primary and, if possible, some key secondary metabolites, (2) the sensory assessment of berries, and (3) experience gathered over previous vintages on the same site of production.
Notes
- Barbe, J. C., Garbay, J., & Tempère, S. (2021). The sensory space of wines: from concept to evaluation and description. A review. Foods, 10(6), 1424. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10061424.
- van Leeuwen, C., Roby, J. P., & de Rességuier, L. (2018). Soil-related terroir factors: A review. OENO one, 52(2), 173-188. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2018.52.2.2208
- Carbonneau, A., Champagnol, F., Deloire, A., & Sévila, F. (1998). Récolte et qualité du raisin, 647-668. C. Flanzy, Œnologie. Fondements scientifiques et technologiques.
- García-Estévez, I., Pérez-Gregorio, R., Soares, S., Mateus, N., & de Freitas, V. (2017). Oenological perspective of red wine astringency. OENO One, 51 (3), 237-249. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2017.51.2.1816.
- Carbonneau, A. (2007). Théorie de la maturation et de la typicité du raisin. Le Progrès agricole et viticole, 124(13), 275-284.
- Capone, D. L., Van Leeuwen, K., Taylor, D. K., Jeffery, D. W., Pardon, K. H., Elsey, G. M., & Sefton, M. A. (2011a). Evolution and occurrence of 1,8-cineole (Eucalyptol) in Australian wine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(3), 953-959. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf1038212
- Capone, D. L., Van Leeuwen, K., Taylor, D. K., Jeffery, D. W., Pardon, K. H., Elsey, G. M., & Sefton, M. A. (2011a). Evolution and occurrence of 1,8-cineole (Eucalyptol) in Australian wine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(3), 953-959. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf1038212
- Poitou, X., Thibon, C., & Darriet, P. (2017). 1,8-Cineole in French red wines: evidence for a contribution related to its various origins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(2), 383-393. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03042
- Lisanti, M. T., Laboyrie, J., Marchand-Marion, S., de Revel, G., Moio, L., Riquier, L., & Franc, C. (2021). Minty aroma compounds in red wine: Development of a novel automated HS-SPME-arrow and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantification method. Food Chemistry, 361, 130029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130029
- Geffroy, O., Kleiber, D., & Jacques, A. (2020). May peppery wines be the spice of life? A review of research on the ‘pepper’aroma and the sesquiterpenoid rotundone. OENO One, 54(2), 245-262. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2020.54.2.2947
- Picard, M., Thibon, C., Redon, P., Darriet, P., de Revel, G., & Marchand, S. (2015). Involvement of dimethyl sulfide and several polyfunctional thiols in the aromatic expression of the aging bouquet of red Bordeaux wines. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 63(40), 8879-8889. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b03977
- Tomasino, E. & Bolman, S. (2021). The potential effect of β-ionone and β-damascenone on sensoryperception of Pinot noir wine aroma. Molecules, 26 2021, 1288. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051288
References
- Barbe, J. C., Garbay, J., & Tempère, S. (2021). The sensory space of wines: from concept to evaluation and description. A review. Foods, 10(6), 1424. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10061424.
- van Leeuwen, C., Roby, J. P., & de Rességuier, L. (2018). Soil-related terroir factors: A review. OENO one, 52(2), 173-188. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2018.52.2.2208
- Carbonneau, A., Champagnol, F., Deloire, A., & Sévila, F. (1998). Récolte et qualité du raisin, 647-668. C. Flanzy, Œnologie. Fondements scientifiques et technologiques.
- García-Estévez, I., Pérez-Gregorio, R., Soares, S., Mateus, N., & de Freitas, V. (2017). Oenological perspective of red wine astringency. OENO One, 51(3), 237-249. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2017.51.2.1816.
- Carbonneau, A. (2007). Théorie de la maturation et de la typicité du raisin. Le Progrès agricole et viticole, 124(13), 275-284.
- Capone, D. L., Van Leeuwen, K., Taylor, D. K., Jeffery, D. W., Pardon, K. H., Elsey, G. M., & Sefton, M. A. (2011a). Evolution and occurrence of 1,8-cineole (Eucalyptol) in Australian wine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(3), 953-959. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf1038212
- Poitou, X., Thibon, C., & Darriet, P. (2017). 1,8-Cineole in French red wines: evidence for a contribution related to its various origins. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 65(2), 383-393. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03042
- Lisanti, M. T., Laboyrie, J., Marchand-Marion, S., de Revel, G., Moio, L., Riquier, L., & Franc, C. (2021). Minty aroma compounds in red wine: Development of a novel automated HS-SPME-arrow and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry quantification method. Food Chemistry, 361, 130029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130029
- Geffroy, O., Kleiber, D., & Jacques, A. (2020). May peppery wines be the spice of life? A review of research on the ‘pepper’aroma and the sesquiterpenoid rotundone. OENO One, 54(2), 245-262. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2020.54.2.2947
- Picard, M., Thibon, C., Redon, P., Darriet, P., de Revel, G., & Marchand, S. (2015). Involvement of dimethyl sulfide and several polyfunctional thiols in the aromatic expression of the aging bouquet of red Bordeaux wines. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 63(40), 8879-8889. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5b03977
- Tomasino, E. & Bolman, S. (2021). The potential effect of β-ionone and β-damascenone on sensory perception of Pinot noir wine aroma. Molecules, 26 2021, 1288. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051288
Article statistics
Views: 1149