Influence of grape composition and origin, yeast strain and spontaneous fermentation on aroma profile of Corvina and Corvinone wines

Volatile composition and sensory properties of Corvina and Corvinone red wines in relationship to grape origin, yeast strain and inoculated vs. spontaneous fermentation were investigated. Experimental wines were produced using freshly harvested grapes of the two varieties coming from two different areas. The results indicated that, by affecting grape composition, grape origin had a primary impact on wine aroma chemical and sensory properties. From a chemical point of view, this effect was associated not only with grape-derived compounds but also to some extent with fermentation-derived esters. Yeast strains influence was mostly associated with higher alcohols and certain esters, whereas the main characteristic of spontaneous fermentation was increased concentration of ethyl acetate. Sensory analysis confirmed the greater impact of grape origin compared to yeast strain, indicating clusters of odor similarities which were mostly associated with variations in the content of ethyl esters, C6 alcohols, and norisoprenoids in Corvina and of norisoprenoids, cyclic terpenes, acetate esters, and ethyl acetate in Corvinone, respectively.