Noble Wine Research Articles

Preliminary observations on the main geographical and climatic characteristics of the Taurasi DOCG wine district in Irpinia (Southern Italy)

For a long time, it has been an established and shared notion that vine-wine landscapes represent the most remarkable forms of landscapes deriving from human activity, both through the mark they leave on the territory and in the cultural traditions associated to them.Irpinia (Province of Avellino, Campania Region) is one of the national territories which is more marked by this type of traditional cultivation. Among them, stands out a wine of the highest quality, Taurasi DOCG wine.The purpose of this preliminary study is to highlight the geo-environmental characters of the territory which determine the specificity of this noble wine product. In addition to the scientific interest, the data collected and the results obtained so far lead to believe that a much more in-depth study will contribute to the reporting of the Landscape of Taurasi DOCG in the National Register of Traditional Rural Landscapes.For the purposes of this study, we are making use of:1) GIS technologies for the elaboration of the various thematic;2) a dedicated software for the climatic characterization of the investigated area. The results obtained so far are definitely promising. Comparison with historical cartography will be made in a second phase of the work.

Dramatic Increase in Content of Diverse Flavonoids Accompanied with Down-Regulation of F-Box Genes in a Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Ramat.) Hemsl.) Mutant Cultivar Producing Dark-Purple Ray Florets.

Anthocyanins (a subclass of flavonoids) and flavonoids are crucial determinants of flower color and substances of pharmacological efficacy, respectively, in chrysanthemum. However, metabolic and transcriptomic profiling regarding flavonoid accumulation has not been performed simultaneously, thus the understanding of mechanisms gained has been limited. We performed HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) and transcriptome analyses using “ARTI-Dark Chocolate” (AD), which is a chrysanthemum mutant cultivar producing dark-purple ray florets, and the parental cultivar “Noble Wine” for metabolic characterization and elucidation of the genetic mechanism determining flavonoid content. Among 26 phenolic compounds identified, three cyanidins and eight other flavonoids were detected only in AD. The total amounts of diverse flavonoids were 8.0 to 10.3 times higher in AD. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway were not up-regulated in AD at the early flower stage, implying that the transcriptional regulation of the pathway did not cause flavonoid accumulation. However, genes encoding post-translational regulation-related proteins, especially F-box genes in the mutated gene, were enriched among down-regulated genes in AD. From the combination of metabolic and transcriptomic data, we suggest that the suppression of post-translational regulation is a possible mechanism for flavonoid accumulation in AD. These results will contribute to research on the regulation and manipulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in chrysanthemum.

Comparative Analysis of Phytochemical Composition of Gamma-Irradiated Mutant Cultivars of Chrysanthemum morifolium

The flowers of chrysanthemum species are used as a herbal tea and in traditional medicine. In addition, members of the genus have been selected to develop horticultural cultivars of diverse floral colors and capitulum forms. In this research, we investigated the phytochemical composition of eight gamma-irradiation mutant cultivars of Chrysanthemum morifolium and their original cultivars. The mutant chrysanthemum cultivars were generated by treatment with various doses of 60Co gamma irradiation of stem cuttings of three commercial chrysanthemum cultivars as follows: ‘ARTI-Dark Chocolate’ (50Gy), ‘ARTI-Purple Lady’ (30 Gy), and ‘ARTI-Yellow Star’ (50 Gy) derived from ‘Noble Wine’; ‘ARTI-Red Star’ (50 Gy) and ‘ARTI-Rising Sun’ (30 Gy) from ‘Pinky’; ‘ARTI-Purple’ (40 Gy) and ‘ARTI-Queen’ (30 Gy) from ‘Argus’; and ‘ARTI-Rollypop’ (70 Gy) from ‘Plaisir d’amour’. Quantitative analysis of flavonoids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and carotenoids in the flowers of the 12 chrysanthemum cultivars was performed using high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESIMS). Essential oils from the flowers of these cultivars were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The mutant cultivars, ‘ARTI-Dark Chocolate’, ‘ARTI-Purple Lady’, ‘ARTI-Purple’, and ‘ARTI-Queen’ showed higher total amounts of flavonoid and phenolic acid compared with those of the respective original cultivars. The mutant cultivars, ‘ARTI-Dark Chocolate’, ‘ARTI-Purple Lady’ and ‘ARTI-Purple’, which produce purple to pink petals, contained more than two-times higher amounts of anthocyanins compared with those of their original cultivars. Of the mutant cultivars, ‘ARTI-Yellow Star’ in which petal color was changed to yellow, showed the greatest accumulation of carotenoids. Ninety-nine volatile compounds were detected, of which hydrocarbons and terpenoids were abundant in all cultivars analyzed. This is the first report that demonstrated the phytochemical analysis of novel chrysanthemum cultivars derived from C. morifolium hydrid using HPLC-DAD-ESIMS and GC-MS. These findings suggest that the selected mutant chrysanthemum cultivars show potential as a functional source of phytochemicals associated with the abundance of health-beneficial components, as well as good source for horticulture and pigment industries.

Quantification of Antioxidant Phenolic Compounds in a New Chrysanthemum Cultivar by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

The flowers of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. have been used as an herbal tea and in traditional medicine, and the plant has been developed to produce horticultural cultivars of various colors and shapes. In this study, a new chrysanthemum cultivar with dark purple petals (C. morifolium cv. ARTI-Dark Chocolate; ADC) was developed by radiation-induced mutation breeding of its original cultivar with purple striped white petals (C. morifolium cv. Noble Wine, NW). The phenolic profile and antioxidant property of ADC were investigated and compared with NW and the commercially available medicinal herb, C. morifolium with yellow petals (CM), in order to find a scientific support to produce a new source of natural antioxidant. Flavonoid and phenolic acid profiles of the ethanol extracts of the three flowers were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESIMS), while antioxidant properties were evaluated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging assay. Among the tested flowers, ADC possessed the strongest antioxidant capacity and the highest phenolic contents. Flavonoids (acacetin, apigenin, luteolin, acacetin-7-O-β-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-β-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-β-glucoside, and linarin) and phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid and mixture of 1,4-, 1,5-, and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids) were identified and quantified.

Deletion of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4a (CmCCD4a) and global up-regulation of plastid protein-coding genes in a mutant chrysanthemum cultivar producing yellow petals

In addition to attracting pollinators and protecting plants from photooxidative damages, carotenoids play important roles in signaling related to plant development and physiological changes through their cleaved derivatives, apocarotenoids. Yellow chrysanthemum flower petals [Chrysanthemum morifolium (Ramat.)] are the result of a deleted or suppressed carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase gene (CmCCD4a). Therefore, investigating the global gene expression patterns in chrysanthemum mutants producing yellow petals represents an appropriate strategy to analyze the effects of signaling mediated by carotenoid derivatives. We compared the transcriptomes of chrysanthemum cultivars producing white petals with purple stripes (‘Noble Wine’) and its mutant producing yellow petals with purple stripes (‘ARTI-Yellow Star’). Read mapping and polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that CmCCD4a is absent in the ARTI-Yellow Star genome, while at least three CmCCD4a gene family members are actively transcribed in ‘Noble Wine’ plants. These results indicate that the deletion of CmCCD4a may be responsible for the development of yellow petals in ARTI-Yellow Star flowers. During comparisons of gene expression patterns between Noble Wine and ARTI-Yellow Star, we detected numerous significantly up-regulated plastid protein-coding genes as well as significantly or mildly up-regulated carotenoid biosynthesis genes in ARTI-Yellow Star plants. The up-regulated plastid protein-coding genes belong to a broad range of functional categories related to translation, photosynthesis, reactive oxygen species scavenging, oxidative phosphorylation, transcription, processing, terpenoid metabolism, and chlorophyll metabolism. Our results present a possible relationship between CmCCD4a and regulation of plastid protein-coding genes.

The disposition of things: spontaneous order in the Esprit des Lois1

The disposition of things: spontaneous order in the Esprit des Lois1

MINIMIZING COLOR DEGRADATION IN BLUSH WINES1

Abstract Minimization of color degradation in blush wines was investigated. Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced with sulfur dioxide (SO2) at different levels (0, 30, 60, and 120 mg/L) added at crush and bottling were evaluated during 12 months of storage at 16C. Addition of SO2 at crush did not affect browning (absorbance at 420 nm) but increased red color (absorbance at 520 nm). As SO2 levels at bottling increased, browning and red color decreased. Prefermentation treatments (hyperoxidation, nitrogen sparging, and SO2 addition) and tannic acid addition at bottling in Cabernet Sauvignon, Delaware, and Noble blush wines stored at 16 and 37C were evaluated. Prefermentation treatments did not affect red color. Browning differences were observed in Cabernet Sauvignon but not in Delaware and Noble wines. In blush wines from all cultivars, as tannic acid levels increased, browning and red color increased. The prefermentation treatments can be used to minimize color degradation in the cultivars evaluated.

Effect of Variety, Ultraviolet Light Exposure, and Enological Methods on thetrans-Resveratrol Level of Wine

Resveratrol is one of the wine components related to moderate wine consumption and reduction of serum cholesterol levels. The standard addition method was used with a high pressure liquid chromatography procedure to calculate resveratrol levels. Grape variety, UV light exposure, enzyme addition, skin contact time, and the fining agents, carbon and PVPP, affected the resveratrol levels of wines from the white varieties, Chardonnay and Chardonel, and the red varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cynthiana, and Noble. UV light exposure of the grape clusters significantly increased the resveratrol level in Cynthiana and Noble wine produced in 1994, but did not yield a consistent result in the other experiments from the 1995 and 1996 wines. Enzyme addition significantly increased resveratrol levels in Chardonnay wine but not Chardonel wine. Skin contact time influenced the extraction of resveratrol from the skin in the red varieties, but the maximum extraction time was dependent on the variety of the grapes. Carbon addition decreased the resveratrol level in Noble wine but not in Cynthiana in the 1994 wines. The addition of PVPP significantly lowered resveratrol level in Chardonel, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cynthiana, and Noble wine. However, low levels of added PVPP addition did not cause significant loss of resveratrol.

HPLC Analysis of Cabernet Sauvignon and Noble Wine Pigment Fractions

ABSTRACT Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon and Vitis rotundifolia cv. Noble wines were made with different skin contact times to investigate the anthocyanin content of fractions isolated from the wines by low pressure column chromatography. The effect of acetaldehyde addition to wine was also investigated. The fractions were analyzed by a modified HPLC procedure using a 3‐solvent gradient and a C‐18 reverse phase column. Cabernet Sauvignon fractions contained different combinations of anthocyanins; Noble wine fractions contained different ratios of five anthocyanins present in the wines. These differences are hypothesized to influence the long‐term stability of the wines.

Circular Dichroism and Spectroscopic Studies ofVitis viniferacv. Cabernet Sauvignon andVitis rotundifoliacv. Noble Red Wine Liquid Chromatographic Fractions

Red wines were made with <i>Vitis vinifera</i> cv. Cabernet Sauvignon and <i>Vitis rotundifolia</i> cv. Noble grapes with three different skin contact times and with added acetaldehyde to investigate monoglucoside and diglucoside anthocyanin polymerization. The anthocyanins were extracted from the wines by a low-pressure liquid chromatographic (LC) procedure using a silica/PVPP column, producing three to four chromatographic fractions from each wine. The UV/Vis and circular dichroism (CD) spectra of each fraction were then determined. The Noble wine polymers had CD spectra while the Cabernet Sauvignon wines did not. The chirality of the Noble wine polymers is theorized to be due to the polymer structure, which may be visualized as vertically stacked, as opposed to the apparent planar or net non-chiral structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon wine polymers. The intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon fraction UV/Vis spectra increased with increasing skin contact, while those of the Noble wines did not. Acetaldehyde treatment of the wines resulted in nonuniform changes in the UV/Vis spectra of the Cabernet Sauvignon fractions. The Noble wine fraction UV/ Vis spectra were not significantly affected by acetaldehyde addition. The CD spectral evidence in combination with the UV/Vis spectra indicate that the Cabernet Sauvignon wines are composed of three or four polymer "class" structures while the Noble wines contain similar polymer structures in each of the four LC fractions.

Effect of Processing on the Phenolics and Color of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, and Noble Wines and Juices

A study was conducted to determine the effect of processing method on the phenol composition and color of wines and juices from Cabernet Sauvignon (<i>Vitis vinifera</i>), Chambourcin (French-American hybrid), and Noble (<i>Vitis rotundifolia</i>). Processing treatments included immediate press for wine and juice, hot press for wine and juice, and skin fermentations (3, 7, 14 days for Noble; 7, 13, 21 days for Cabernet and Chambourcin) for wines. Phenols tentatively identified and quantified by HPLC included: coutaric acid, caftaric acid, gallic acid, ellagic acid, catechin, epicatechin, and procyanidins B3 and B4. Immediate press wines and juices had the lowest levels of all phenols measured, while skin fermentation wines had higher levels of nearly all phenols than hot press wines or juices. However, hot press Chambourcin wines and juices had higher total phenols than skin fermented wines. Levels of gallic acid, epicatechin and procyanidins B3 and B4 generally increased with longer skin fermentation times. Caftaric acid, coutaric acid, ellagic acid (Noble only), and catechin did not show consistent trends between treatments. Skin-fermented Noble wines had very high levels of gallic acid and epicatechin, and contained ellagic acid. However, caftaric acid and procyanidin levels were very low in all Noble wines. Cabernet had high levels of catechin and procyanidins, and Chambourcin had the lowest levels of catechin and epicatechin. Noble had the lowest degree of anthocyanin polymerization. Skin fermented Noble wines had greater color intensity than hot press wine or juice, but hot press Chambourcin wine and juice had greater color intensity than skin fermented wines. Cabernet hot press wine and juice had similar color as skin fermented wines.

AROMA CONSTITUENTS OF MUSCADINE WINES1

ABSTRACTWelder and Noble muscadine wines were analyzed for their volatile aroma compounds with a combined gas chromatograph‐mass spectrometer. Higher alcohols and esters of fatty acids were numerically the largest groups of flavor components identified, with many of these compounds present in both Welder and Noble wines. The relative concentrations at which they occured in both wines were however different. The more intense peaks appeared in the Noble wine in most cases. 2‐phenylethanol which is often present in muscadine grapes was also identified in the wines. A gas chromatogram of the wine extracts are presented, along with a Table of compounds and their associated mass spectral data.