Volatile Compounds by SPME-GC as Age Markers of Sparkling Wines

Sonia Francioli; Jordi Torrens; Montserrat Riu-Aumatell; Elvira López-Tamames; Susana Buxaderas

doi:10.5344/ajev.2003.54.3.158

Abstract

Cava acquires its characteristic aroma during aging. Twenty-eight volatile compounds of 221 sparkling wines made from different base wine were quantified by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and discriminant analysis was applied. Isoamyl and hexyl acetates, ethyl decanoate, 2-phenylethyl acetate, and vitispiranes were found to be markers of young sparkling wines (<9 months). Vitispiranes and 1,2-dihydro-1,1,6-trimethylnaphthalene (TDN) were also able to discriminate aged cava (>20 months), while diethyl succinate could be an age marker throughout the aging period.

Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to Segura Viudas SA, Castellblanch SA, and Freixenet SA wineries for providing samples. This study was made possible by financial assistance from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (MCYT) project VIN01-051, from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Spain) for project 2001SGR-00131, and through funding from the Universitat de Barcelona to M. Riu-Aumatell (Ph. D. student).