The second part of the study on the aromatic characterization of Valpolicella has been presented. This part of the study provides, for the first time, a clear scientific description of what constitutes the mechanisms that define the territoriality of a wine. Tedeschi’s adeptness at bringing out and protecting the “sense of place” of their wines is recognized. The results of 7 years of research are collected in a book.
Verona, June 6, 2024 – Fruity, balsamic, spiced/peppery, sweet spiced: these are the four broad olfactory dimensions that have been identified for the wines of Valpolicella thanks to a study initiated by the Tedeschi family and presented today at a meeting organized in San Pietro in Cariano at the Polo Universitario San Floriano.
The research, which has been published as a book, was carried out by Professor Maurizio Ugliano, an expert in the aromatic composition of wines, their longevity, and the development of practices aimed at enhancing aromatic typicality. Professor Ugliano also teaches Enological Technology and Processes as well as Wine identity and typicality in the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Verona.
“My family and I – Riccardo Tedeschi explains- have always supported and promoted projects that deepen the understanding of our territory in order to bring out the best in the vine and in the winery as well as to increase its value for the consumer. The collaboration with Professor Ugliano began in 2017 with research on the aromatic characterization of Valpolicella grape varietals, the results from which were presented in 2021. Today, at this next juncture, we are able to ‘scientifically’ describe the ‘aromatic signature’ of our cru. Jamie Goode has lent his expertise and skills as a communicator to speak about these results at meetings as well as in the preface of the book.”
Goode, an internationally recognized wine journalist, speaker, and lecturer, who is also a columnist for the British newspaper The Sunday Express and collaborates with both The World of Fine Wine and Wine&Spirit, has enthusiastically welcomed the results of the study. “We greatly value the concept of terroir together with soil, climate, and the human factor because we are able to perceive the differences in these in wines as we taste them. However, we have not yet uncovered a scientific explanation that makes clear the mechanism behind these perceptual differences. Now, we are finally beginning to obtain scientific answers, which in turn give rise to new questions, validating thus the Tedeschi family’s efforts and inviting further study,” explains Goode.
An essential first step in the study was the definition of the olfactory characteristics of wine obtained from the main grapes of the territory, that is, Corvina and Corvinone, the combination of which forms the base of the balance and complexity of Valpolicella wines. In broad terms, wines made solely from Corvina have primarily an intense character made up of red fruits and floral notes, while wines made with Corvinone primarily have compounds related to vegetal as well as spiced notes.
“The stylistic structure of Valpolicella wines is made up of two somewhat complimentary profiles in which, along with the fruity notes that are characteristic of red wines, one also finds floral, sweet spice, pepper, and tobacco aromas,” explains Ugliano.
Ugliano further underscores that “the experimental approach adopted in this study was based on the combination of a highly reproducible vinification process along with a series of advanced chemical analyses, which together demonstrated the existence of what we are calling ‘the sense of place of a wine’ in wines from five different Tedeschi vineyards– Monte Olmi, La Fabriseria, and Maternigo (Anfiteatro, Barila, Impervio) – across three consecutive vintages. This ‘sense of place of a wine’ translates into a wine’s capacity to transmit a unique range of olfactory sensations and other stimuli that together faithfully recall the environment in which the grapes have been cultivated.”
Specifically, the five wines from the five different vineyards have demonstrated a notable diversity between them with respect to their aromatic profiles across consecutive vintages, making these characteristics true molecular markers of the identity of each wine and its own sense of place. Terpenes with their floral and balsamic attributes along with dimethyl sulfide, a potent aromatic compound with truffle notes, are at the center of the sense of place of La Fabriseria wines, especially for the Corvina varietal. In contrast, the Monte Olmi vineyard is characterized by a unique profile of fruity aromatic esters and citrus terpenes while wines from the Maternigo estate are made recognizable by norisoprenoids with a ripe fruit character and benzenoids associated with sweet spice, particularly for the Corvinone grape.
The research also revealed that, contrary to popular belief, the pool of odor-active compounds does not only arise from the grapes themselves, but there are also “hidden” compounds that arise during complex chemical and biochemical reactions and establish themselves during fermentation. Another key component is aging, during which powerful odor-active compounds that are highly influenced by the vineyard and the ecosystem of the vineyard begin to accumulate and further add to the expression of the sense of place of the wine.
“While these characteristics are to a certain degree influenced by aging and vinification, they are present not only in the Valpolicella style wines but also in Amarone wines, which attest to the potential for the Tedeschi cru to express the enormous diversity of the different areas of Valpolicella that goes beyond the vinification practices,” concludes Ugliano.
