An ancient winemaking technology: exploring the volatile composition of amphora wines

Amphora wines are known in Portugal as Vinhos de Talha. In this ancient technology, alcoholic fermentation takes place in clay vessels in the shape of amphoras. Traditionally, the clay vessels are pitched inside using pine pitch and red, white or a mixture of both grapes can be fermented giving raise to red, white or palhete wines, respectively. The traditional technology associated with these wines is quite different from the modern technology of winemaking. Thus, Vinhos de Talha have a unique sensorial profile, due to the ancestral technique of vinification that originates distinctive wines, full of character and identity. The present research aims to evaluate the volatile profile of amphora wines (red, white and palhete wines). The volatile fraction of the different types of amphora wines was analyzed using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 117 volatile compounds in the different wines analyzed were tentatively identified and principal component analysis showed a clear separation among the different types of wine based on their volatile composition.