Influence of Brewing Methods and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the Aroma and Quality of Shuanghong Vitis amurensis Wine

Blending wines is a useful practice in red wine production, however, it is rarely used in Vitis amurensis wine. In recent years there has been a tendency to seek new products from the blending of wines to achieve greater complexity. The purpose of this study was to improve the aroma composition and complexity of Shuanghong V. amurensis wine, enhance its taste and quality, and attempt to use a new brewing technology. Different brewing methods were used in this study to carry out the fermentation test of 'Shuanghong Vitis amurensis wine. Two different kinds of Saccharomyces cerevisiae EZ2 and SN3 were selected for the mixed brewing of Shuanghong and Gongniang No. 1 grape juice and separate brewing of Shuanghong grape juice. During the brewing process, total sugar and total acid, reducing sugar, soluble solids, and aroma components of the wine were analyzed, and the sensory evaluation was carried out. It showed that total sugar, reducing sugar, and soluble solids in the fermentation broth decreased during the mixed and separate brewing of different S. cerevisiae, whereas total acid content increased initially and then decreased. When Shuanghong grape juice was mixed with Gongniang No. 1 grape juice at a 2:1 ratio and fermented with the EZ2 strain, the acidity of the wine produced was the lowest, at 8.6 g/L, among the four methods. The analysis of aroma components of wine obtained by different brewing methods showed that there were significant differences in aroma components between strains EZ2 and SN3. The mixed brewing made by strain EZ2 contained more ester aroma components and the total content was 19053.76 μg/L. This might indicate that the EZ2 strain is highly capable of synthesizing ester components and it also indicates that the mixed method, combining two different raw materials, can result in wine with richer ester aroma components. According to the comprehensive sensory evaluation results, the wine produced by the mixed fermentation of strain EZ2 had a good taste, rich aroma components, and good acid-reducing effects, which can be further optimized and applied as a new type of Vitis amurensis wine fermentation process. The results of this study show that the application of a mixed brewing method comprising Shuanghong and Gongniang No.1 V. amurensis at a 2:1 ratio, inoculated with the local S. cerevisiae EZ2 strain, can effectively improve the aroma and taste of Shuanghong V. amurensis wine, reduce acidity and result in the production of high-quality wine. In this study, a new mixed brewing method suitable for V. amurensis wine was developed. The results contribute to improvements in V. amurensis wine brewing technology and the quality of wine products, in addition to providing a theoretical basis for the utilization and development of characteristic V. amurensis resources in northern China. © 2023 Xiaochun Yu, Jing Xu, Zixuan Wang, Ming Li, Xue Chen, Shuying Li and Yongping Xu.