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. 2022 Jul 20;11(14):2152.
doi: 10.3390/foods11142152.

Valorization of Traditional Alcoholic Beverages: The Study of the Sicilian Amarena Wine during Bottle Aging

Giuseppa Di Bella  1 , Miriam Porretti  2 , Ambrogina Albergamo  1 , Claudio Mucari  3 , Alessia Tropea  4 , Rossana Rando  1 , Vincenzo Nava  1 , Vincenzo Lo Turco  1 , Angela Giorgia Potortì  1
Affiliations

Valorization of Traditional Alcoholic Beverages: The Study of the Sicilian Amarena Wine during Bottle Aging

Giuseppa Di Bella et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Traditional alcoholic beverages have always been part of the Mediterranean culture and, lately, they have been re-evaluated to valorize both the territory and local customs. In this study, the Amarena wine, a fortified wine included in the national list of the traditional agri-food products, was characterized during bottle aging for oenological parameters, chromaticity, volatiles, and inorganic elements. Then, experimental data were visually interpreted by a principal component analysis (PCA). PCA revealed that most of oenological parameters (i.e., alcoholic grade, total dry extract, sugars, organic acids, and phenolic compounds) had a scarce discriminating power. Additionally, ethyl esters were only present in younger products, while remaining at quite constant levels. Conversely, certain metals (i.e., Mg, Na, Mn, Zn, and Cu), chromatic properties, and pH differentiated older Amarena bottles from the younger counterpart. Particularly, acetaldehyde and furanic compounds proved to be valid aging markers. A sensorial analysis highlighted that fruity and floral odors and flavors characterized younger beverages, while dried fruity, nutty, and spicy notes were displayed by older products, along with the valuable attribute of "oxidized" typically observed in aged Sherry wines. Overall, this study may encourage the production and commercialization of the Amarena wine, thus preserving the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean area.

Keywords: Amarena wine; chromaticity; fortified wine; inorganic elements; oenological parameters; sour cherry; traditional alcoholic beverages.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box and Whisker charts illustrating the oenological traits of Amarena wines in relation to different bottle aging. In each graph, data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 15 samples coming from 5 bottles, where every sample was analyzed three times. The “×” indicates the average value in each wine group, whereas the outlier points display the outlier data lying either below the lower whisker line or above the upper whisker line. TPC: total phenol content; TAC = total anthocyanin content.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of the different samples of Amarena wines in the space of the CIE xy chromaticity diagram.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Box and Whisker charts illustrating the levels of major and trace elements of Amarena wines in relation to different bottle aging. In each graph, data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 15 samples coming from 5 bottles, where every sample was analyzed three times. The “×” indicates the average value in each wine group; whereas the outlier points display the outlier data that lie either below the lower whisker line or above the upper whisker line.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Box and Whisker charts illustrating the levels of acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, methanol and higher alcohols of Amarena wines in relation to different bottle aging. In each graph, data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 15 samples coming from 5 bottles, where every sample was analyzed three times. The “×” indicates the average value in each wine group; whereas the outlier points display the outlier data that lie either below the lower whisker line or above the upper whisker line.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Box and Whisker charts illustrating the levels of furanic compounds and ethyl esters of Amarena wines in relation to different bottle aging. In each graph, data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 15 samples coming from 5 bottles, where every sample was analyzed three times. The “×” indicates the average value in each wine group; whereas the outlier points display the outlier data that lie either below the lower whisker line or above the upper whisker line.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Bidimensional score (a) and loading (b) plots of investigated physico-chemical parameters over the Amarena wine with different aging. Drawn ellipses suggest the natural grouping of samples (n = 15 samples per wine group) according to the aging period.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Sensorial analysis of investigated Amarena wines with different aging conducted in terms of odor (a), flavor (b) and defects (c). Scores were based on a 0–8-point numeric scale and they were reported as mean ± standard deviation (n = 7). For the odor: O-Fr, Red fruits; O-DFr, Dried fruits; O-Fl, Floral; O-Sp, Spicy. For the flavor: F-Sw, Sweetness; F-As, Astringency; F-Fr, Red fruits; F-DFr, Dried fruits; F-Fl, Floral; F-Sp, Spicy. For the defects: D-O, Oxidized; D-Ac, Acidity; D-An, Animal.
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