Relationship of Changes in Rotundone Content during Grape Ripening and Winemaking to Manipulation of the ‘Peppery’ Character of Wine

Biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene rotundone in Vespolina grapes during berry ripening was investigated over two consecutive seasons, revealing that the compound accumulates from veraison to harvest and reaches relatively high concentrations (up to 5.44 μg/kg). Rotundone levels up to 1.91 μg/kg were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2011-05, Vol.59 (10), p.5565-5571
Main Authors: Caputi, Lorenzo, Carlin, Silvia, Ghiglieno, Isabella, Stefanini, Marco, Valenti, Leonardo, Vrhovsek, Urska, Mattivi, Fulvio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
biosynthesis
Chromatography, Gas
clones
exocarp
Fermentation
Fermented food industries
Flavors and Aromas/Chemosensory Perception
Food Handling - methods
Food industries
Fruit - chemistry
Fruit - growth & development
Fruit and vegetable industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
grapes
harvesting
odors
red wines
ripening
Sesquiterpenes - analysis
Sesquiterpenes - metabolism
Smell
Species Specificity
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Vitis
Wine - analysis
winemaking
Wines and vinegars
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Summary:Biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene rotundone in Vespolina grapes during berry ripening was investigated over two consecutive seasons, revealing that the compound accumulates from veraison to harvest and reaches relatively high concentrations (up to 5.44 μg/kg). Rotundone levels up to 1.91 μg/kg were also found in clones of Gruener Veltliner, a white grape variety known to give ‘peppery’ wines. These concentrations are higher than those reported for Syrah grapes and are similar to the levels found in some plants. Rotundone was shown to accumulate almost exclusively in berry exocarp, suggesting that skin contact during winemaking could be used to modulate the peppery character of red wine. However, rotundone yield after the winemaking process was relatively low. Indeed, only 10% of the rotundone present in grapes was extracted during fermentation, and only 6% was recovered in bottled wine. The results presented in this work provide key knowledge for manipulation of the peppery character of wine in order to optimize the intensity of this characteristic wine aroma.
ISSN:0021-8561
1520-5118
DOI:10.1021/jf200786u