Warmer environmental conditions and/or prolonged ripening times due to winery congestion have contributed over the years to the production of wines with ever increasing alcohol contents. These wines can exhibit diminished varietal aroma and flavour characters, together with notable ‘hotness’ and ‘overripe fruit’ notes, which are considered detrimental to wine quality. Concurrently, there is increased consumer demand for lower alcohol wine styles, and therefore, interest from industry in strategies that achieve lower wine alcohol levels, without compromising quality. Existing technologies enable the partial dealcoholisation of wine, but perceived drawbacks associated with quality and processing costs necessitate further investigation into alternative and innovative techniques, which are both economically feasible and environmentally sustainable. Research undertaken within the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production (ARC TC-IWP) focuses on management of wine alcohol levels through an integrated whole-of-production-chain approach, i.e. from the vineyard to the winery and then post-vinification, via a series of complementary studies. The composition and aroma/flavour profiles of wines from trials involving (i) sequential harvest and water blending regimes, (ii) the use of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeast strains, (iii) the addition of commercial wine additives (i.e. maceration enzymes, mannoproteins and tannins), and (iv) reverse osmosis/evaporative perstraction treatment, were studied. The potential for each of these approaches, applied either individually or in combination, to achieve lower alcohol levels in wine will be presented.

Integrated approach to managing alcohol levels in wine while maintaining quality and style

254th National Meeting (2017)

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