Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of early leaf removal (ELR) and cluster thinning (CT) on the phenolic composition of cv. Teran berries and wines, and the sensory profile of wines at 6 and 24 months after fermentation. Although only ELR increased the concentration of total anthocyanins in the berries as compared to the untreated control (UC), both ELR and CT had higher concentration of total anthocyanins and greater colour intensity in the resultant wines than the UC. Similar effects were obtained with total phenolics in the berries and the wines; while CT obtained higher concentration of total phenolics in the berries than UC only in one season, same treatment obtained higher concentration of total phenolics in the wine in both seasons as compared to UC. Only minor sensory differences in wines were obtained at the age of 6 months, while treatments were highly discriminated 24 months after fermentation, when both ELR and CT wines had more enhanced fruitiness, aromatic intensity, complexity, body, balance and wine overall quality than UC. The obtained results indicate that adequate wine aging period is needed for a relevant assessment of the impact of vineyard management practices on wine sensory characteristics.
Highlights
Leaf removal and cluster thinning are canopy management practices used to improve grape and wine quality by affecting the concentration of phenolic and aromatic compounds in grapes [1,2,3,4,5,6] Their effects are of special importance for the production of aged red wines, which are generally characterized by a high concentration of phenolic compounds that enable proper evolution of wine sensory characteristics during wine aging [7,8]
Due to the removal of 84% of leaf area at a pre-flowering stage in a two years mean, early leaf removal (ELR) resulted with a lower berry and cluster weight, as well as 22% lower yield per vine than untreated control (UC) (1.44 and 1.85 kg/vine in a two years mean for ELR and UC, respectively)
Leaf removal and cluster thinning are useful practices to increase the concentration of total anthocyanins and total phenolics in Teran red wine, despite the fact that little improvement in berry composition is obtained by cluster thinning
Summary
Leaf removal and cluster thinning are canopy management practices used to improve grape and wine quality by affecting the concentration of phenolic and aromatic compounds in grapes [1,2,3,4,5,6] Their effects are of special importance for the production of aged red wines, which are generally characterized by a high concentration of phenolic compounds that enable proper evolution of wine sensory characteristics during wine aging [7,8]. the impact of early leaf removal and cluster thinning practices on vine performance, berry and wine composition has been thoroughly studied in the last decades, the knowledge about their impact on wine sensory characteristics is still limited, and especially concerning the evolution of the sensory profile of the obtained wines during wine aging. The intensity of astringency and bitterness depends on the structural modification of polyphenols [8] and the same authors observed a lower intensity of astringency and bitterness, and the improvement of persistence of wine flavour with longer aging Based on the these findings, it may be hypothesized that in case of red wines which are characterized by considerable sensory perception of tannins intensity, astringency and bitterness, the appropriate period to perform descriptive sensory analysis of wines would rather be after a certain period of wine aging (15 months or more) than on younger wines. Teran is a red grape variety traditionally grown in the north Adriatic area, including the Croatian Istria viticultural subregion [16,17]
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