Young sparkling wines from the Sevastopol grape-growing area of Crimea

All-Russian National Research Institute of Viniculture and Winemaking "Magarach" of the National Research Centre «Kurchatov Institute», Kirova Str, 31, Yalta, 298600, Republic of Crimea, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: Sofi4@list.ru

Abstract

Wine is a product of the area, so the study of its properties should be carried out in relation to the terroir. The aim of the work was to evaluate the quality of young sparkling wines made from ‘Glera’, ‘Rhenish Riesling’, ‘Pinot Blanc’, ‘Pinot Noir’, and ‘Kokur belyi’ grapes varieties grown in the valley of the Belbek River in the Sevastopol wine-growing zone of Crimea. Bottle fermentation was carried out at a temperature of 12-14 °C for 2 months using existing live yeast cells of primary fermentation. Young sparkling wines were characterized by typical properties (foamy and sparkling properties) for this type of product: maximum foam volume > 400 ml, high foam stability – more than 60 s, mass fraction of bound CO₂ > 8%, equilibrium CO₂ pressure – more than 300 kPa. The samples of sparkling wines from ‘Riesling Rhenish’ and ‘Kokur belyi’ varieties, which were characterized by a harmonious organoleptic profile, received the maximum tasting ratings (above 85 points). The wine samples obtained from ‘Pinot Blanc’, ‘Glera’, and ‘Kokur belyi’ grapes were distinguished by a high coefficient of sparkling properties (K > 100 min.). This indicator had a high correlation with the mass fraction of bound forms of carbon dioxide (r=0.93).