| Popis: |
Adjusting the soluble solids of the prefermentation must is a tool by which winemakers can manipulate the flavor profile of a wine. Brix, a measure of soluble solids, is often modified prior to fermentation by chaptalization or the addition of water, but also can be modified in the vineyard by allowing the fruit to further mature on the vine. This work presents the effects of harvest maturity and prefermentation Brix on the flavor profile of Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) and Syrah (SY) wines. Fruit from each cultivar were harvested at three approximate maturity targets: 20 Brix – unripe, 24 Brix – ripe, and 28 Brix – overripe. Must from each harvest was first divided, and then the Brix was adjusted to match each of the target maturities, e.g. portions of the 24 Brix harvest were adjusted to 20 and 28 Brix. Descriptive analysis found 10 attributes which significantly varied among the CS wines and 14 attributes which significantly varied among the SY wines. Harvest maturity primarily impacted the CS aroma profile, as wines produced from unripe fruit showed increased green aroma, but wines produced from ripe/overripe fruit showed increased jammy berries aroma. Increasing the prefermentation Brix of the CS must increased the intensity of bitterness, hotness, and viscosity, but decreased the sourness. The SY wine flavor profile was heavily impacted by increasing the prefermentation Brix, which showed higher intensities of astringency, ethanol aroma, hot mouthfeel, jammy fruit aroma, rose aroma, solvent aroma, ethanol aroma, and viscous mouthfeel. The SY Fruit maturity showed a significant on the astringent intensity and earthy aroma, but an interactive effect between harvest maturity and Brix was found for sulfur, cabbage aroma, and bitterness. |
