Abstract
AIM: The effects of two winemaking processes were investigated on the chemical and sensory profiles of Pinot blanc stored in bottle for 12 months. This study aimed at: i) determining the chemical and sensory identity, ii) correlating the sensory descriptors with the chemical profiles and iii) evaluating the overall quality of Pinot blanc wines depending on the winemaking. METHODS: The Pinot blanc grapes (2018 harvest) were divided in two amounts, each processed in three replicates. Compared to the control wine, the experimental wine was obtained with pre-fermentative cold maceration, addition of yeast autolysate and bentonite treatment. Volatile compounds and phenolics were analysed with SPME/GC-MS and HPLC-DAD/FLD (with targeted LC-MS/MS identification), respectively. The sensory analysis was conducted by a trained panel. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were applied. RESULTS: The multivariate approach showed that specific cinnamic acids and flavonoids were more abundant in the control wine. Several volatile esters contributed more in the control wine, whereas higher alcohols characterized the experimental wine. The control wine received higher quality judgments up to nine months. CONCLUSIONS: The pre-fermentative maceration was the step most differentiating the two wines. The control wine showed faster volatile and sensory profiles change over storage. The experimental wine showed a faster phenolic profile evolution. The sensory analysis described the main sensory descriptors and their evolution. Finally, multivariate models were applied to correlate the volatile chemical profiles with relevant sensory descriptors. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The authors thank Gabriele Carlana and Daniele Fortuna for their support with the analysis.