Effects of Extended Grape Ripening With or Without Must and Wine Alcohol Manipulations on Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Sensory Characteristics

  • H. Heymann Department of Viticulture & Enology, University of California, 1136 RMI North, 595 Hilgard Lane, Davis, CA 95616-5270, USA
  • M. LiCalzi 150 rue Isaac Newton 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France
  • M.R. Conversano Bell Wine Cellars, 6200 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599, USA
  • A. Bauer Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Faculty Life Sciences, Department Food Science and Nutrition, Lohbruegger Kirchstr. 65, 21033 Hamburg, Germany
  • K. Skogerson Monsanto Center for Food and Nutrition, 150 N. Research Campus Drive, Suite 3700, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA
  • M. Matthews Department of Viticulture & Enology, University of California, 1136 RMI North, 595 Hilgard Lane, Davis, CA 95616-5270, USA
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21548/34-1-1084

Abstract

This study attempts to clarify the consequences for wine flavour that result from harvesting fruit at
different maturities. The grapes were harvested from a single vineyard in Paso Robles, and the samples
spanned maturity levels from what would be considered early harvest (about 21 °Brix) to late harvest
(about 30 °Brix). The wines made from these grapes were analysed using descriptive analysis to investigate
the relationships between fruit maturity and wine sensory attributes. In addition, musts and/or wines were
chaptalised and/or fortified or watered back to determine the effect of these manipulations on wine sensory
properties. This research showed that the sensory attributes of wines made from grapes at different stages
of maturation, from about 20 to 30 °Brix, varied in a systematic fashion. Specifically, the wines made from
the grapes with a lower Brix were more sour and had more fresh vegetative flavours, while the wines made
from the fruit with a high Brix were more hot and bitter and in some cases had more dark fruit flavours
and sweetness. Fortifying wines made from lower Brix musts changed the perceptions of the wine sensory
profiles more than chaptalising the musts. On the other hand, adding water to higher °Brix musts to mimic
24 °Brix musts resulted in wines with similar sensory profiles to wines made from grapes picked at a sugar
content of close to 24 °Brix. This study shows that wine sensory attributes differ more when grapes are
picked early in ripening rather than after 24 °Brix.

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Published
2016-11-01
Issue
Vol. 34 No. 1 (2013)
Section
Articles

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