Search Results (137)

The global wine sector faces climatic instability, changing consumption patterns and demand for differentiated products linked to origin, authenticity and experience. In this context, winter wines can be conceptualized as an emerging and still-consolidating wine category based on double pruning, a vineyard management strategy that shifts grape ripening and harvest to autumn–winter. This narrative and critical review integrates evidence from viticulture, enology, sensory science, microbiology, consumer research, wine tourism and market studies to examine winter wines not only as a technical outcome of double pruning, but also as an emerging wine category shaped by processes of formation, potential consolidation and market positioning. The review argues that winter wines are shaped by the interaction among winter ripening, cultivar adaptation, rootstock, canopy management, harvest timing and winemaking. It also proposes human-mediated terroir as a useful conceptual framework, because pruning reorganizes the temporal conditions through which climate, soil, biological material and human decisions influence wine identity. The Brazilian experience, particularly the protected geographical indication Vinhos de Inverno Sul de Minas, illustrates how technical innovation can be linked to geographical origin, collective reputation and symbolic value. Nevertheless, the category requires multi-region and multi-vintage studies, sensory characterization, consumer research and clearer communication strategies. Winter wines may offer a relevant model of innovation, climate adaptation and regional differentiation in contemporary wine markets. Full article

Natural wine is a highly contested category lacking universally accepted definitions and certification standards, yet consumers and wine professionals routinely judge whether a wine appears to be a natural wine. This study examined how visual impressions of wine labels relate to perceived naturalness and natural wine categorization in the absence of formal natural-wine certification cues. Seven wine labels were evaluated in two studies conducted in Japan. Study 1 involved novice consumers who rated label impressions and perceived naturalness, whereas Study 2 involved experienced wine consumers and wine professionals who additionally evaluated whether each wine appeared to be a natural wine. A participant-level exploratory factor analysis conducted in Study 1 identified two perceptual dimensions of wine-label impressions, termed Classicness and Delicateness. The resulting factor structure was subsequently applied to Study 2. Across both studies, perceived naturalness showed a consistent positive association with Delicateness. In contrast, natural wine categorization was associated with lower Classicness in wine-level analyses, although this relationship was not supported by participant-level mixed-effects analyses and therefore remained exploratory. Perceived naturalness and natural wine categorization showed a weak positive association, but the relationship did not reach statistical significance. These findings suggest that wine-label impressions contribute to perceived naturalness and provide preliminary evidence that they may also contribute to natural wine categorization. More broadly, the results indicate that perceptions of naturalness and natural wine categorization may be shaped not only by technical criteria and formal definitions but also by shared perceptual expectations and category representations. Full article

This study employed sequential inoculation of native non-brewing yeasts Kluyveromyces marxianus YC-T7 and Pichia kudriavzevii QC-P3 to co-ferment dry white wine from Munage, a unique fresh-eating grape variety native to Xinjiang, providing technical support for the development of regionally distinctive wines in Xinjiang. To investigate how mixed fermentation with indigenous Xinjiang non-Saccharomyces (NS) yeasts and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) influences the aromatic profile of Munage wine, two NS strains—K. marxianus YC-T7 and P. kudriavzevii QC-P3—previously isolated and selected by our group were sequentially co-inoculated with S. cerevisiae CEC01. Strain growth dynamics were first characterized in a synthetic grape juice (SGJ) system under varying inoculation protocols; subsequently, Munage grapes were fermented under optimized sequential inoculation to assess physicochemical parameters, volatile aroma composition, and sensory attributes of the resulting dry white wine. Results demonstrated that, under sequential inoculation, the QC-P3 + SC consortium entered the late logarithmic phase on day 4 and achieved a final ethanol concentration of 10.29%vol, whereas the YC-T7 + SC consortium reached the same growth stage on day 5 with 10.27%vol ethanol—confirming robust and timely alcoholic fermentation for both consortia. Consequently, sequential inoculation was adopted as the standard protocol for Munage wine production. All key physicochemical parameters complied with China’s national standards for dry white wine. Relative to pure SC fermentation, the YC-T7 + SC treatment increased tartaric acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, and citric acid contents by 3.15%, 12.16%, and 2.18%, respectively; the QC-P3 + SC treatment induced more pronounced enhancements—22.58%, 51.64%, and 14.70%, respectively. A total of 54 volatile compounds were identified, including 29 esters, 12 alcohols, 7 organic acids, 4 phenolic compounds, and 2 others. Integrated analysis using odor activity values (OAVs), principal component analysis (PCA), and descriptive sensory evaluation consistently revealed that the YC-T7 + SC wine exhibited the highest concentrations of fruit- and flower-associated esters, while the QC-P3 + SC wine was distinguished by a distinctive pineapple-like aroma driven predominantly by ethyl butyrate. Collectively, sequential co-inoculation of indigenous Xinjiang NS strains YC-T7 and QC-P3 with S. cerevisiae significantly improved Munage wine quality—particularly in acidity balance, polyphenol retention, and aromatic complexity—thereby offering both novel microbial resources and a validated technical framework for stylistically authentic vinification of terroir-expressive wines from the Xinjiang region. Full article

Referred to by Julian Huxley in his 1957 work New Bottles for New Wine, transhumanism champions the use of science and technology to transcend human biological limits and attain a “posthuman” state. While science fiction frequently familiarizes audiences with these speculative dimensions, William Gibson’s short story The Winter Market (1986) exposes the dehumanizing impacts of technological immortality and mind uploading in a cyberpunk world. Rather than presenting a seamless techno-utopian future, Gibson’s narrative centers on the concept of gomi—Japanese for trash or junk—to illustrate the literal and psychological expulsion of the human subject. Therefore, this paper argues that The Winter Market uses the material reality of gomi as its core structural and thematic focus, exposing how advanced capitalism and cybernetic technology reduce the organic body, human experience, and artistic expression to marketable, discarded commodities. Through a close reading of Gibson’s distinct language and narrative form, this study, ultimately, interrogates the trade-offs of technological transcendence, demonstrating how the pursuit of disembodied immortality culminates in alienation and the fragmentation of authentic identity. Full article

This study evaluates the potential of UV–Vis absorption and fluorescence detection (FLD), combined with chemometrics for the characterization of red wines and the preliminary screening of their Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and grape variety. More than 100 samples were analyzed under both acidic and basic conditions using flow injection analysis (FIA), as it offers advantages in terms of automation, speed, and online coupling multichannel UV–Vis and FLD detectors, enabling the acquisition of complementary datasets. Spectral data generated were analyzed using exploratory and supervised chemometric methods. Results showed comparable performance across different data types. Although the discriminant information was limited, data exploration by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed meaningful differences related to PDO and grape variety. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogies (SIMCA) provided remarkable classification results, with good overall performance, supporting the potential of this approach as a fast-screening tool for wine authentication and quality control, particularly in high-throughput analytical settings. Full article

To establish the relationship between the composition of wine and its regional origin, the most stable chemical parameters are selected because their variation is easiest to trace. Together with “classical” micro- and macroelements, rare earth elements (REEs) can be used for such purposes. However, the relationship between REE content in wine and its regional origin has not been systematically studied. This study examines the migration of REEs in the “soil-grape-wine” system to identify the relationship along the entire chain and establish the geographical origin of grapes and wine. The research was carried out on grapes and wines from the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties, as well as soil samples selected from different vineyards. The concentrations of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu in the studied samples were determined using ICP-MS. It was established that the studied soil samples are characterized by relatively low REE concentrations. Low transfer of REEs from soil to grapes was observed because the soils are rich in clay minerals that firmly retain these elements. Statistically significant differences in the REE content of grapes from different regions were detected (p < 0.05). Multidimensional analysis methods allowed us to group grape samples into clusters based on varietal and regional origin. Discriminant analysis showed the possibility of using the concentration of REEs as markers of the geographical origin of grapes. Of all the REEs, only La and Ce are reliably established in all wines. When determining the geographical origin of wine, the use of REE content is limited due to their very low concentrations in wine. In this regard, it has been proposed to use them in combination with macro- and microelements, which improves the classification performance of the model. Full article

The demand for reliable, rapid, and low-cost tools for quality control analysis has driven the development and application of different instrumental approaches in the wine industry. Thus, this review aims to gather and discuss the most relevant analytical methodologies reported in the literature, with emphasis on spectroscopic, chromatographic, electroanalytical, and sensor-based techniques, including electronic noses and tongues, as well as the integration of these techniques with chemometric tools. The studied methods demonstrate, in varying levels of precision, the potential for determining chemical composition, detecting contaminants and adulterations, evaluating attributes related to sensory quality, and monitoring fermentation and aging processes. Advances in non-destructive methods with high analytical throughput are highlighted, as these approaches have gained relevance due to their applicability in routine analyses which is desired for process control. Despite the progress observed, challenges related to sensitivity, selectivity, matrix effects, and method standardization still persist, limiting their industrial implementation. Finally, this review identifies research gaps, therefore pointing to perspectives for the development of standardization routines for the different methodologies, and the integration of analytical methods in the decision-making framework of the winemaking industry. Full article

To protect wine authenticity and quality, two Sardinian red wines, Carignano del Sulcis and Cannonau di Sardegna, were characterized using an FT-IR and untargeted GC–MS integrated approach. FT-IR-derived oenological parameters, together with GC–MS profiles of polar low-molecular-weight metabolites, were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. Compared with Cannonau, Carignano exhibited higher color intensity, greater density, and higher contents of glucose, lactic acid, and malic acid. Discriminant analysis of GC-MS data revealed that Carignano was characterized by uronic acids and arabitol, suggesting possible exposure to Botrytis. In contrast, Cannonau was characterized by 2,3 butanediol and ethyl-tartrate, indicating more pronounced yeast fermentative activity, consistent with the lower residual glucose content measured by FT-IR. Classification analysis demonstrated that the different wineries exert significant influence on the final characteristics of the wine. Overall, the findings demonstrated the effectiveness of this integrated analytical approach as a promising tool for wine authentication. Full article

This study characterizes the volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of young monovarietal red wines from five cultivars widely grown in Alentejo, Portugal—Aragonez, Castelão, Merlot, Syrah, and Trincadeira, across two consecutive vintages (2021 and 2022), in a total of 20 samples. Understanding how grape variety and harvest year shape VOC composition is essential for defining varietal typicity, supporting authenticity assessments, and guiding quality-driven enological practices. VOCs were extracted using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOFMS), providing a semi-quantification of 142 volatile compounds across nine chemical families. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), unveiled significant effects of variety, vintage, and their interactions on VOC composition, enabling clear discrimination of the wines. Notably, terpenes and C₁₃-norisoprenoids exhibited strong varietal differentiation patterns: Castelão and Trincadeira showed higher relative proportions of monoterpenes like linalool, β-citronellol, and geraniol, whereas Aragonez presented increased sesquiterpene levels including β-bisabolene and α-muurolene, and Syrah and Merlot displayed more diverse terpenoid patterns. Despite their lower abundance, C₁₃-norisoprenoids, particularly trans-β-ionone, consistently differentiated wines across vintages. A 100% ribbon chart of the main terpenoids and C₁₃-norisoprenoids highlighted genotype-driven and vintage-independent patterns, underscoring their potential as robust markers of Portuguese red wines. This study presents a high-resolution HS-SPME–GC–TOFMS chemometric workflow for the profiling and classification of young Alentejo red wines, highlighting consistent varietal patterns in terpene and C₁₃-norisoprenoid distributions under the studied conditions. Full article

The authentication of wines with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status is a key requirement for quality assurance, traceability, and consumer trust, particularly in traditional wine-producing regions such as the Douro Demarcated Region (Portugal). Among the certification criteria, the reliable identification of grape varieties remains technically challenging, especially when rapid and non-destructive analytical approaches are required. In this study, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis was evaluated as a rapid screening approach for the differentiation of monovarietal Douro wines produced under standardized microvinification conditions. Twenty-one monovarietal wines were analyzed using mid-infrared spectra (1800–1000 cm⁻¹) and classification models were developed using Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). The PLS-DA models showed preliminary discriminatory capacity, with apparent error rates of 10.2% for calibration and 19.3% under leave-one-out cross-validation. The results indicate that FTIR-ATR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics captures chemically relevant spectral variability associated with grape varietal differences and shows potential as a rapid exploratory screening approach within PDO traceability frameworks. Although the study is based on a limited number of biological replicates from a single vintage and sub-region, the findings provide a methodological baseline for future multi-vintage and multi-region investigations aimed at consolidating FTIR-based approaches for varietal authentication of Douro wines. Full article

This study aims to enhance the value of the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo PDO supply chain by integrating multi-elemental and isotopic profiling with chemometric analysis. The objective is to establish a pilot study for origin authentication, supporting strategic, managerial, and regulatory decision-making for stakeholders in the wine sector. Wine and soil samples from producers in the Abruzzo region were analyzed for 63 elements and selected isotopic ratios using HR-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS. Exploratory data analysis, including PCA and clustering, was employed to investigate intrinsic data structure. Variable selection techniques identified the most discriminant markers, and multiple classification models were tested to assess producer-level differentiation. The combined elemental and isotopic dataset showed strong intrinsic structure. Four variables—Mo, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb, P, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr—emerged as key discriminants. Quadratic Discriminant Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks achieved 100% accuracy in classifying samples by producer. The results demonstrate that integrating multi-elemental and isotopic data with chemometric tools offers a pilot approach to authenticate wine origin and enhance transparency across the PDO supply chain. Beyond scientific innovation, this study provides a pilot decision support model that can strengthen competitive differentiation, regulatory compliance, and sustainable territorial development, highlighting opportunities for digital transformation in PDO management. Full article

Wine, as a high-value product, is vulnerable to counterfeiting. To tackle increasingly sophisticated fraud, innovative analytical approaches are required. However, they must undergo rigorous validation. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR) is intrinsically quantitative, reproducible, and fast, making it a promising tool for official control. This study presents the development and validation of a standardised and fully automated workflow for the quantification of 20 oenologically relevant compounds, including organic acids, sugars, alcohols, esters, phenolics, and an alkaloid. The method combines optimised sample preparation, external quantification standards, spectrometer calibration, and a dedicated R package (RnmrQuant1D) for fully automated spectral processing, enabling high-throughput and operator-independent analysis. Validation was performed under intermediate precision according to OIV metrological standards, evaluating accuracy, precision, robustness, limits of quantification, and measurement uncertainty. The results demonstrated excellent linearity, trueness, and reproducibility, matching the targeted analytical performance. Measurement uncertainties were estimated both by conventional linear modelling and by a dynamic approach better suited to detection limits. The workflow is easy to implement, requires minimal sample consumption, and substantially reduces operator bias. Beyond validating a robust method, this study provides a framework for harmonised, transferable ¹H-NMR workflows that could support large-scale databases, integration with chemometric models, and ultimately, ¹H-NMR’s recognition as a relevant method for wine authentication and quality control. This work fills a crucial gap in wine analysis by uniting practical application and rigorous methods, enabling broader adoption in control laboratories worldwide. Full article

The aroma of wine is a defining quality attribute, determined mainly by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originating from grape metabolism, fermentation, and maturation. This study aimed to characterize the VOC composition of young monovarietal red wines from the Alentejo region (Portugal), produced from Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, and Trincadeira across five consecutive vintages (2020–2024). Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-ToFMS) was applied for VOC profiling, followed by multivariate statistical analyses. A strict identification and reproducibility criterion was applied to ensure longitudinal consistency over the five vintages. MANOVA analysis revealed significant effects (p < 0.001) of both grape variety and vintage on VOC distribution. Esters were the most abundant and discriminant group, while aldehydes and terpenes contributed markedly to varietal differentiation. Alicante Bouschet wines were associated with fruity ethyl esters, Touriga Nacional with monoterpenes (citronellol, terpinolene, α-farnesene) and aromatic alcohols, and Trincadeira with aldehydes and sesquiterpenes. Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) achieved clear separation among varieties and vintages, with the first two canonical functions accounting for over 70% of the total variance. Heatmap analysis highlighted distinctive terpene and C13-norisoprenoid profiles across samples. These findings demonstrate the pivotal role of VOCs in defining Alentejo wine typicity and support their use as chemical markers for authenticity and PDO valorization. Full article

The Criaderas and Solera system represents one of the most sophisticated aging methodologies in winemaking, producing distinctive Sherry wines through dynamic blending and biological aging processes. This traditional Spanish system, combined with the unique metabolic activities of flor yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), creates wines of exceptional complexity and consistency. This comprehensive review synthesizes current literature on the Criaderas and Solera system, focusing on biological aging mechanisms, flor yeast dynamics, industrial applications, and contemporary challenges. Recent advances in genomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies of flor yeasts have been analyzed, alongside modern analytical approaches to the characterization of Sherry wine. The Criaderas and Solera system enables consistent wine quality through fractional blending across multiple aging levels. Flor yeasts exhibit specialized metabolic adaptations, including enhanced ethanol oxidation capacity, biofilm formation abilities, and stress resistance mechanisms. Modern applications extend beyond traditional winemaking to include biotechnological uses, immobilization techniques, and sustainable production methods. Current challenges include climate change impacts, maintaining genetic diversity, adapting to new technologies and meeting evolving consumer preferences. The integration of traditional knowledge with modern biotechnology offers promising opportunities for optimizing Sherry production. Understanding flor yeast ecology and metabolic pathways provides insights for developing innovative applications while preserving the authenticity of this centuries-old winemaking tradition. Full article

Barley wine is one of the most chemically complex and historically significant beer styles, yet its molecular composition remains largely unknown. This study aims to create the first detailed molecular framework for understanding the chemical diversity of barley wine and cereal wines. The chemical diversity of barley wines and related “cereal wines” made from wheat, oats, and rye, including barrel-aged varieties, is examined using ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics. Distinct cereal-dependent signatures were revealed by multivariate analyses. High levels of fusel alcohols and phenolic acids were present in barley wines. Elevated levels of pyruvate and aromatic amino acids were found in wheat wines, and high levels of maltodextrin, arabinose, and trigonelline were found in oat and rye wines. A comparison of sub-styles showed that English and American barley wines were different based on ester and complex sugar profiles. Barrel aging introduces changes dependent on the barrel’s origin. A reliable classification of barrel origin was allowed for by a decision tree with four diagnostic metabolites—5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), acetaldehyde, mannose, and tryptophan. The way in which raw materials, fermentation conditions, and the reuse of barrels collectively influence their metabolomes is exemplified. Verifying the authenticity of beer, evaluating its quality, and generating new ideas for high gravity brewing are all cases in point for this approach. Full article