Browsing by Author "Panzeri, V."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The effect of grape temperature on the sensory perception of Méthode Cap Classique wines
    (South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2017) Mafata, M.; Buica, A. S.; Du Toit, W.; Panzeri, V.; Van Jaarsveld, F. P.
    The production process of South African bottle-fermented sparkling wine, the Méthode Cap Classique (MCC), follows the traditional French method (méthode champenoise), although each cellar has its own unique additions to the method. South African winemakers use different techniques and blends to achieve their award-winning MCCs, but there have not been many scientific investigations of the science behind these wines. This project is one of the first scientific studies on MCC. MCC wines were made using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes harvested over two vintages (2014 and 2015) from two regions (Robertson and Darling) and stored at 0°C, 10°C, 25°C and 30°C before processing. The study was aimed at investigating the effect of grape storage temperature on the sensory characteristics of MCCs. The aroma and taste of the final nine-month old MCCs were evaluated, with each region analysed separately. The study showed a grouping of the MCCs according to temperature treatments for both vintages. There were vintage differences in terms of the attributes cited and the frequency of citations. Based on the frequency of citation, the MCCs made 2014 from grapes stored at 0°C and 10°C were described by the judges as having a fruity, fresh and crisp aroma, whilst those made from grapes stored at 25°C and 30°C were described as having oxidised fruit, volatile acidity and solvent-like aromas. The judges perceived less oxidation and volatile acidity (VA) (in terms of the frequency of citation) in the aroma of the 2015 MCCs, although treatments at higher temperatures were still associated with less desirable attributes compared to treatments at lower temperature. This study shown that the temperature of the grape at the time of processing has a significant effect on the aroma of MCCs aged nine months, and not so much of an effect on the taste.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effect of skin contact before and during alcoholic fermentation on the chemical and sensory profile of South African Chenin Blanc white wines
    (South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2015) Aleixandre-Tudo, Jose Luis; Weightman, C.; Panzeri, V.; Nieuwoudt, Helene; Du Toit, W. J.
    The volatile and phenolic composition of Chenin blanc wines made with different skin contact treatments was studied. One batch of grapes was used to make a dry white wine according to two different treatments, namely pre-fermentative skin contact and complete fermentation on the skins. A white wine fermented without any skin contact was used as control. Fermentation on the skins and skin contact before fermentation led to significantly lower levels of terpenes, esters, acids and thiols, and the highest significant levels of alcohols and phenolic compounds. However, this effect was less pronounced in wines with skin contact before fermentation. Sensory analysis of all the experimental wines was also performed. The results showed a significant shift from the sensory attributes of fresh and tropical fruits of the control Chenin blanc wines towards riper fruit notes in the skin contact treatments. This observation was correlated with the length of the skin contact period. Possible reasons to explain the results observed in this study are discussed.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Evaluation of South African chenin blanc wines made from six different trellising systems using a chemical and sensorial approach
    (South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2020) Panzeri, V.; Ipinge, H. N.; Buica, A. S.
    There are many ways of manipulating the components of grape berries and one of these is the implementation of a specific trellising system. This will affect light exposure in the bunch zone, air flow through the canopy, crop load, etc., and consequently the primary metabolites that contribute to the production of secondary compounds in wine. The aim of the present study was to characterise the grape musts and wines of Chenin blanc made from grapes of different trellising systems, using chemical fingerprinting of the samples and the check-all-that-apply method, combined with a quality scoring test. The results indicate that, while the wines could not be separated according to treatment from an aroma point of view, the grapes produced by different trellis systems resulted in wines characterised by differences in taste and mouthfeel. The present study shows that trellising systems can influence amino acids, yeast assimilable nitrogen, phenolic content and aroma compounds, as well as sensory characteristics. In this case study, wine quality was not affected by the trellising systems, with one exception. Fingerprinting using high-resolution mass spectrometry proved to be a successful tool to separate the samples according to the systems.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Investigating the concept of South African old vine Chenin blanc
    (South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2020) Mafata, M.; Brand, J.; Panzeri, V.; Buica, A. S.
    Although South African vineyards are still young by European standards, there is a belief in the industry that vines aged 35 or more years produce grapes and wines with specific characteristics (“old vine wines”). The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of the concept of old vine Chenin blanc wines using a typicality rating and sorting tasks. Chenin blanc wines were made from grapes harvested from vines aged five to 45 years old. Winemaking was standardised, with no wood contact. Typicality rating and sorting tasks were performed on young (first-stage) and two-year bottle-aged (second-stage) wines. Principal component analysis (PCA) on rating data demonstrated judge consensus, but no correlation was found between vine age and typicality rating. Sorting results were submitted to agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) performed on the correspondence analysis (CA) and multidimensional scaling (MDS) results for grouping and attributes resulting from the sorting task. The clusters were different for the young wines and two-year bottle-aged wines. The verbal aspect of the sorting demonstrated the judges’ agreement on the concept of old vine Chenin blanc, shown by the annotation of the old vine group as ‘complex’, ‘balance’, ‘rich’ and ‘good mouthfeel’. However, because the judges did not sort the wines according to vine age, the perceptual aspect of the concept could not be confirmed, its features could not be tested further, and the sensory space could not be built.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Potentially smoke tainted red wines: volatile phenols and aroma attributes
    (South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2019) McKay, M.; Bauer, Florian; Panzeri, V.; Mokwena, L.; Buica, A. S.
    Malodourous compounds, including volatile phenols (VPs) are frequently found at concentrations below their odour thresholds in wine, and may therefore be considered to present no threat to wine quality. Most investigations into smoke taint quantify compounds by chemical/analytical means, or investigate sensory effects of supra- and peri-threshold contamination in model wine. In this project, twelve wines submitted by the South African industry as ‘faulty’ and/or smoke tainted were screened for VPs using GC-MS, and characterized using Descriptive Analysis (DA) by a sensory panel highly trained in smoke taint evaluation. Results were compared statistically to elucidate relationships between chemical and sensory characteristics. It was demonstrated, using the combined dataset, that concentration and composition of VPs in the wines correlated well with certain sensory attributes. Guaiacol was present in most samples at peri- or supra-threshold levels, but did not cause taint unless in combination with other phenols, when it was associated with ‘smoky’, ‘ashy’ and ‘herbaceous’ attributes. Wines with very low levels of VPs showed more sweet-associated aroma characteristics. Wines with supra-threshold levels of VPs showed negative attributes (‘chemical/plastic’, ‘tar/BR’ and ‘medicinal/Elastoplast™’). In some cases, sensory effects (‘earthy/dusty/potato skin’, ‘mouldy/musty’ and ‘cooked veg’) could not be attributed to peri- or supra-threshold concentrations, but seemed to be due to combinations of volatile phenols at subthreshold levels. Associations between negative attributes and historical bushfire events prior to harvest were found for a number of the wines. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding effects of VPs on wine aroma, and escalating awareness and sensitivity to these issues in the wine industry.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Profiling potentially smoke tainted red wines : volatile phenols and aroma attributes
    (South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2019) McKay, M.; Bauer, F. F.; Panzeri, V.; Mokwena, L.; Buica, A.
    Malodourous compounds, including volatile phenols (VPs) are frequently found at concentrations below their odour thresholds in wine, and may therefore be considered to present no threat to wine quality. Most investigations into smoke taint quantify compounds by chemical/analytical means, or investigate sensory effects of supra- and peri-threshold contamination in model wine. In this project, twelve wines (submitted by the South African industry as potentially smoke tainted) were screened for VPs using GC-MS, and characterized using descriptive analysis (DA) by a sensory panel highly trained in smoke taint evaluation.  Results were compared statistically to elucidate relationships between chemical and sensory characteristics.  It was demonstrated, using the combined dataset that concentration and composition of VPs in the wines correlated well with certain sensory attributes. Guaiacol was present in most samples at peri- or suprathresholdlevels, but was not correlated with taint unless in combination with other phenols, in which case it was associated with ‘smoky’, ‘ashy’ and ‘herbaceous’ attributes. Wines with supra-threshold levels of VPs showed negative attributes (‘chemical / plastic’, ‘tar / BR’ and ‘medicinal / Elastoplast™’). In some cases, sensory effects (‘earthy / dusty / potato skin’, ‘mouldy / musty’ and ‘cooked vegetables (veg.)’) could not be attributed to supra-threshold VP contamination, and therefore seemed to be due to combinations of VPs at subthreshold levels. Associations between negative attributes and historical bushfire events prior to harvest were found for a number of the wines. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding effects of VPs on wine aroma, and escalating awareness and sensitivity to these issues in the wine industry.