Abstract
Depending on the vineyard location, cluster thinning (CT) may represent an effective tool to obtain the desired grape composition and wine quality. The effect of 20% cluster thinning on Ribolla Gialla (Vitis vinifera L.) sparkling wine aroma, lipid compounds, and aromatic amino acid (AAA) metabolites composition was studied for three consecutive seasons in two vineyards located in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy. In the examined sparkling wines, the vintage meteorological conditions exhibited significant influences on the metabolic profile of the samples. Data were normalized by season, and the impact of the CT treatment was evaluated for each vineyard site separately. Crop removal showed a limited positive impact on aroma compounds in sparkling wines from vineyards located in the valley. Concerning the AAA compounds, their concentration was higher in the vineyard at the foot of the hills. Cluster thinning resulted in a drop in concentration, reducing the risk of atypical aging. Despite minor differences according to targeted metabolome profiling, the sensory analysis confirmed the effects of the CT treatment in the valley floor vineyard. Reducing crop in this site, where the yield was higher, promoted a moderate improvement of Ribolla Gialla sparkling wine. In contrast, for wine produced in the vineyard at the foot of the hills, the sensory analysis indicated a preference for wines from the unthinned control samples. Overall, the study indicates that cluster thinning is a viticultural technique that could potentially improve the quality of Ribolla Gialla sparkling wines, but only in situations of excessive grape production.
Highlights
Among the indigenous white varieties cultivated in northeastern Italy, Ribolla Gialla (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most promising for producing high-quality monovarietal sparkling wines
We presented the effect of cluster thinning on developing global metabolite profiles during producing monovarietal sparkling wine of the Ribolla Gialla variety
The thinning of the grape clusters showed a minimal positive effect on the volatile composition, where the higher concentration of varietal aroma compounds were present in the sparkling wines produced from the Friuli Grave (FG) vineyard located in the valley floor
Summary
Among the indigenous white varieties cultivated in northeastern Italy, Ribolla Gialla (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most promising for producing high-quality monovarietal sparkling wines. Due to its neutral aroma potential, some authors in previous studies focused mainly on enological practices that enhance the presence of free and glycosided forms of volatile compounds in wine throughout pre-fermentation maceration and other alternative skin contact techniques [1,2]. To the best of our knowledge, none of the previous works have explored the impact of viticulture practices on a common metabolomic profile of Ribolla Gialla sparkling wines. There is a considerable body of literature dealing with crop removal as a quality tool for red grape cultivars, responding with increased anthocyanins and phenolic concentration [6], which promoted enhanced wine color and astringency [7,8]. Only a limited number of studies examined the effect of cluster removal on the aroma composition of wines [4], with contrasting results. Various productivity and crop loads need to be targeted to optimize grape composition
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