Effect of aging on lees on the volatile profile of Malvasia aromatica wines fermented with Saccharomyces native yeasts in PDO “Vinos de Madrid”

Abstract

The loss of aromatic and sensory quality in wines because of climate change in traditional winemaking areas is a challenge for winemakers. Aging on lees of the wine fermented with Saccharomyces native yeasts has been tested as a technique to try to improve the sensory characteristics of Malvasia aromatica white wines in PDO “Vinos de Madrid.” The grapes were pre-cold macerated and fermented with S. cerevisiae CLI 271 and CLI 889 (native yeast strains). Then, commercial lees were used for aging of wines for a five-month at low temperature in order to compare with the effect of S. cerevisiae CLI 271 and CLI 889 without lees treatment. Aromatic and organoleptic properties of wines aged on lees were studied using GC-FID and HS-SPME/GC–MS to quantify volatile compounds and a taster panel to sensorial analysis. There was a significant decrease in the ester family in wines aged on lees being more pronounced in CLI 889 wines. The treatment contributed to enhance the fruity and floral aromatic properties in CLI 271 and CLI 889 wines, respectively according to tasting panel, which showed a hedonic preference for CLI 271 wines without lees treatment and CLI 889 wines aged on lees.