The King has Left the Bottle: Characterizing ‘King of the North’ Rosé Wines Fermented with Five Different Yeast Strains
Zhuoyu Wang, Andrej Svyantek, and Harlene
Hatterman-Valenti*
*NDSU, PO Box 6050, Dept 7670, Plant Sciences, Fargo, ND,
58108-6050 (h.hatterman.valenti@ndsu.edu)
‘King of the North’ is among a few consistently productive grapevines (Vitis spp.) with cold-hardiness traits adapted to eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota growing conditions. Despite nearly two decades of cultivation in North Dakota, minimal research has addressed wine characteristics or fermentative properties of ‘King of the North’ musts, which may present challenging fermentation environments for wine yeast due to acid levels. Thus, we investigated one main fermentation treatment yeast strain, using five different commercial strains (71B, EC1118, Maurivin B, Rhone 4600, and W15) to ferment rosé wines from commercially grown ‘King of the North’ grapes harvested in Fertile, MN, on 1 Oct 2020. Initial must characteristics at harvest indicated high acidity (13.4 g/L malic acid by enzymatic assay). Three replicate fermentations for each yeast strain were monitored for dynamic shifts in colorimetric properties, total soluble solids, malic acid, pH, red pigments, and total phenolics. Final wines were presented to a sensory panel for assessment of aroma and taste characteristics. Prominent aroma characteristics for ‘King of the North’ wines included apple, apricot, cranberry, grape, pear, plum, raspberry, raisin, rose, jasmine, raisin, and watermelon. Specific aromas noted included lemon, cranberry, grape, apple, rose, black pepper, raspberry, plum, pineapple, and watermelon. The overall fruity aromas were more subdued in 71B and EC1118 wines than in Maurivin B, Rhone 4600, and W15. This study improved the overall knowledge of potential yeast strain effects on ‘King of the North’ wine, while quantitatively characterizing ‘King of the North’ aroma and flavors. However, to improve the overall quality of regional wines made from high-acid grapes, further work is necessary to unravel the role and fate of phenolics, pigments, and aroma constituents in light of specific fermentation treatments.
Funding Support: ND grape and wine research grant
