Abstract
This study aimed at investigating the impact of different technical cork stoppers on the quality preservation and shelf life of sparkling wines. The volatile compositions of two Italian sparkling wines sealed with a sparkling cork with two natural cork discs (2D) and a microagglomerated (MA) cork were determined during bottle aging (12 to 42 months) after disgorging, by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS). The volatile profile of the sparkling wine #1 sealed with 2D stoppers showed the presence of camphor from 12 to 42 months, along with significant alterations in the levels of several alcohols, ketones, and ethyl esters at 24 and 42 months. The impact of closure type was less pronounced for sparkling wine #2 which also showed the presence of camphor from 12 to 42 months in 2D samples, and significantly higher levels of esters at 24 and 42 months for 2D compared with MA. These results unveiled that the type of closure has a greater impact on the volatile composition of sparkling wines at longer post-bottling periods and 2D stoppers preserve the fruity and sweety aromas of sparkling wines better after 42 months of bottle storage.
Highlights
Over the last two decades, the global wine market has experienced an increase in the demand for sparkling wines due to changes in consumers’ preferences [1]
Sparkling wines produced by the traditional method are relatively complex in terms of aroma composition since they undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle, followed by different contact periods with lees, when yeasts suffer autolysis releasing nitrogen compounds, polysaccharides, volatile compounds, and phenolic compounds, among others [3], which contribute to the aroma complexity of the greatest sparkling wines
Ethyl esters are the main class of aroma compounds released by the autolysis of yeasts in sparkling wines produced by the traditional method and they contribute to the fruity and floral-like aromas of these wines [16]
Summary
Over the last two decades, the global wine market has experienced an increase in the demand for sparkling wines due to changes in consumers’ preferences [1]. The impact of several winemaking processes in the aroma composition of sparkling wines has been studied, such as grape variety and maturity [4,5], production methods [6], yeast selection [7], and aging period in contact with lees [7,8]. There are several types of sparkling wine cork stoppers available in the market, from microagglomerated to agglomerated corks, and corks made with agglomerated body plus one, two, or three natural cork discs attached to one of the ends [11]. This study aimed to investigate, for the first time to our knowledge, the impact of two different technical cork stoppers on the volatile composition of two Italian sparkling wines from 12 to 42 months of aging in bottle after disgorging
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