Effects of different vinification technologies and yeasts on qualitative parameters and terpene compounds of Sauvignon Blanc wines

Abstract

Abstract Sauvignon Blanc represents an important grape variety. The wine made from this variety is known to have a wide range of aroma profiles from nettles to tropical fruits. Beside the raw material quality (grapes), the quality of wines can be fundamentally influenced by the technological conditions applied in the wine making process. Yeast and other microorganisms play a key role in the formation of metabolites during alcoholic fermentation. In this study, the effects of autochthonous or selected wine yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fermentation temperatures (15 °C and 19 °C) were tested on major monoterpenes contents of wines during the period 2016–2017. The obtained values show that the highest contents of linalool (24.36 μg L−1) and hotrienol (11.84 μg L−1) were determined in wine samples produced with active (selected) wine yeast at lower temperature. Sensory evaluation results indicated that monoterpenes can have a positive effect on the overall sensory quality of Sauvignon Blanc wines, despite the fact that their determined concentrations in the evaluated samples were not higher than their threshold values.