Impact of Bottle Aging on the Composition and Sensory Properties of Flavored Chardonnay and Shiraz Wines.

Yaelle Saltman,Kerry L Wilkinson,Julie A Culbert,Renata Ristic,Trent E Johnson,Susan E P Bastian

doi:10.3390/foods9091208

Abstract

Natural flavorings could potentially be used to enhance the intensity of wine aroma and flavor; albeit since flavor additives are not legally permitted winemaking aids, flavored wines would need to be labeled as wine products. In this study, changes in the composition and sensory profiles of flavored Chardonnay (n = 2) and Shiraz (n = 2) wines were compared at bottling, and then again after 12 months of bottle aging. Flavorings and flavored wines were also analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine the key constituents responsible for changes to aroma and flavor profiles. However, many of the volatile compounds identified in flavor additives were not detected at appreciably higher concentrations in flavored wines, which was attributed to the very small quantities of flavorings that were added to base wines. The sensory profiles of control and flavored wines were determined by descriptive analysis, and the addition of flavorings to base wines significantly influenced the perception of some sensory attributes. Flavored Chardonnay wines exhibited enhanced fruit aromas and flavors, while fruit and developed attributes were enhanced in flavored Shiraz wines. Differences in sensory profiles were less apparent in Chardonnay wines following bottle aging, but depending on the flavorings added, flavored Shiraz wines could still be discriminated from their corresponding control wines after bottle aging. Results from this study demonstrate the potential for flavor additives to be used to enhance desirable attributes and/or mitigate wine sensory deficiencies.

Highlights

Aroma and flavor intensity are important indicators of wine quality, and can be attributed to the presence of volatile compounds derived from grapes, primary and secondary fermentation, maturation and/or aging [1,2]
These results suggest the raspberry flavoring that was added to Shiraz 1 (SH1) had greater persistence than any of the flavorings added to the Chardonnay base wines
The natural flavorings used in this study were found to contain volatile compounds previously identified in grapes and/or wine, but their addition to base wines did not always significantly impact wine composition; i.e., many of the volatile compounds identified as constituents of flavor additives were not detected at appreciably higher concentrations in flavored wines, which likely reflects the extremely small quantities of flavorings added to base wines

Summary

Introduction

Aroma and flavor intensity are important indicators of wine quality, and can be attributed to the presence of volatile compounds derived from grapes, primary and secondary fermentation, maturation and/or aging [1,2]. Flavor additives can be used to moderate aroma and flavor intensity in food and beverage production [3], regulations governing the use of additives and processing aids in most wine-producing countries prevent their use during winemaking. In Australia, the addition of flavorings to wine renders it a ‘wine product’, according to the Australian and New Zealand Food. Whilst it is unlikely that flavor additives would ever be used in the production of premium quality wines, they might offer winemakers the ability to moderate the sensory properties of commodity wines or address wines with sensory deficiencies.

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Results

Conclusion