Abstract
This paper studies the adequacy of Spanish grape varieties, traditionally used for the production of still wines, to elaborate white and rosé sparkling wines. A sensory study on wines manufactured from Vitis vinifera cv. Verdejo, Viura, Malvasía, Albarín, Godello, Garnacha and Prieto Picudo varieties was conducted. Moreover, a study on the evolution of monomeric and polymeric phenolics during the different stages of the sparkling winemaking and aging was carried out. Stabilization and clarification of the base wines produced important decreases in the content of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. First months of aging on yeast lees entailed losses of all forms of polyphenols but part of them were released during the last months. Garnacha rosé and Albarín white wines showed as varieties with high phenolic potential. Garnacha rosé sparkling wines stood out for their high content of hydroxycinnamic acids while Prieto Picudo rosé sparkling wines showed the highest color intensity and anthocyanin content. Among white sparkling wines, Albarín reached the highest values of catechin and proanthocyanidins, and, together with Viura, it showed the highest content of hydroxycinnamates. In sensory profiling, Prieto Picudo showed higher visual color intensity, red tones, olfactory intensity, freshness sensations and foam quality than both Garnacha wines. Albarín and Verdejo showed higher visual color intensity and olfactory intensity than the rest of whites, and Verdejo better foam quality. Prieto Picudo, Albarín and Verdejo resulted globally the most promising varieties for the manufacturing of high quality sparkling wines. This research shows the first characterization of sparkling wines made with these grape varieties, providing a viable alternative to traditional varieties cultivated in Spain and favoring consumer offer and wine differentiation.
- ©2012 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
Sign in for ASEV members
ASEV Members, please sign in at ASEV to access the journal online.
Sign in for Institutional and Non-member Subscribers
Log in using your username and password
Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 day for US$10.00
Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.