Physicochemical, aromatic and sensory properties of the ‘Riesling Italico’ wines fermented with Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts

The sensory quality of wines is affected by the compounds produced by the action of the yeasts used in alcoholic fermentation. This work aimed at assessing the physicochemical, aromatic and sensory properties of the ‘Riesling Italico’ white wines produced by using the Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts. The yeasts S. cerevisiae, S. cerevisiae cerevisiae, S. bayanus, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Metschnikowia pulcherrima were inoculated individually into the must. For 10 days, the alcohol was left to ferment in 7 L carboys in triplicate, at 15º C temperature. The standard physicochemical analyses were done and the quality of the wines was determined. The volatile compounds were identified and quantitative descriptive sensory analyses were performed. All the yeasts produced wines with the characteristic alcohol, volatile acidity and residual sugar content as stipulated by the Brazilian legislation. The T. delbrueckii yeast produced high-content phenylethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate and ethyl decanoate wines, of superior olfactory quality and sensory rating.