The present study focuses on the effect of increasing maceration times (0, 2, 4, 6, and 10 days) on the extraction of phenolic compounds into two Montenegrin wines made with the autochthonous ...varieties Vranac and Kratošija. Significant differences were found in the total acidity, pH and alcohol content of these two varietal wines, which showed different responses to the maceration time. The total content of phenolic compounds (phenols, tannins and anthocyanins) increased significantly with longer maceration time, which is consistent with the existing literature. Specifically, the longest maceration time (10 days) consistently resulted in the highest levels of all parameters analysed. In addition, the anthocyanin profile determined by HPLC showed the interaction between maceration time and variety on the concentrations of the individual anthocyanins. Compared to Kratošija, Vranac wines consistently showed higher anthocyanin contents. In addition, the structural analysis of the tannins revealed that the mean degree of polymerisation (mDP), the percentage of prodelphinidins (%PD) and the percentage of galloylation (%Gall) changed with increasing maceration time. Significant correlations were found between the antioxidant activity values and the analytical parameters, including the structural characteristics of the tannins. This study provides important information on the interaction between maceration time and various varietal characteristics that influence the phenolic composition of Montenegrin wines and contributes to a deeper understanding of winemaking practices and wine quality.
This paper presents the results of a study that examined the impact of grape variety on the volatile aroma compounds and sensory properties of standard and Muscat grape brandy produced in the ...Podgorica sub-region (Montenegro) in vintages 2011, 2012, and 2013. The brandies were prepared by the distillation of crushed grapes, from the autochthonous varieties of Vranac and Kratošija, and Muscat grapes, in a traditional copper alembic, under the same conditions. The gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method of 82 volatile aroma compounds that belong to the group (alcohols, volatile acids, volatile esters, terpenes, volatile aldehydes, acetals, ethers, ketones, and alkanes) and an evaluation of the sensory properties of brandies were carried out to determine the typical characteristics of the examined brandies. Alcohols, fatty acid esters, and terpene compound contents were significantly more abundant in all Muscat grape brandies compared to the brandies from the Vranac and Kratošija wine varieties (Standard brandy). Research results revealed that variety had a significant impact on the volatile aroma compound and sensory properties of brandy. The varietal effect was also confirmed, by multivariate analysis, based on the aroma volatile composition, which showed a grouping by type of grape brandy (varietal origin). Sensory analyses showed that all the brandies belonged to the category of high-quality brandies.
The phenolic characterization was conducted on 43 commercial red (Vranac, Kratošija, and Cabernet Sauvignon) and white (Krstač and Chardonnay) Montenegrin wines during the vintages of 2015 and 2016. ...Several phenolic groups were determined: total anthocyanins, low- and high-molecular-weight proanthocyanidins. Non-flavonoids, such as phenolic acids (seven hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives—tartaric esters and free forms, and hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives—gallic acid), and stilbenes (resveratrols
trans
/
cis
isomers and their 3-glucosides) were analyzed by HPLC–UV and HPLC–DAD, respectively. Red wines reported higher concentrations of phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties, these parameters being strongly correlated. Among red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon in 2015 reported the highest content of total phenols (2197 mg L
−1
), low and high content of proanthocyanidins and antioxidant activity (20.0 mM L
−1
), respectively, and the lowest content of stilbenes (1.15 mg L
−1
). Vranac wines showed the highest content of anthocyanins (799–810 mg L
−1
). Kratošija wines reported the highest content of hydroxycinnamic acids (92.0–97.7 mg L
−1
) in both vintages. Among white wines, in the 2016 vintage, Krstač reported higher contents of total phenols and stilbenes (300 and 0.41 mg L
−1
, respectively) when compared with Chardonnay wines (226 and 0.12 mg L
−1
, respectively). The results showed that the variety influences the content and composition of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and stilbenes. The same was verified in vintages, where edaphoclimatic conditions probably influenced the results obtained. The wines studied were differentiated and discriminated. The factor variety was always present and sometimes it was difficult to classify wines according to the vintage, showing that the varietal factor prevails.
Aim: Given that the information about the origin, genetic relationships, and diversity of Montenegrin grapevines is still partial, we performed a detailed analysis of the germplasm in this country ...using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Our main goal was to determine the identity of cultivars unique to Montenegro and those shared with other countries, especially the neighbouring ones. Methods and results: Seventy samples were collected and 14 genotypes were found. After SSR profile comparison with available molecular databases and literature data, the identity of each genotype was established. Five well-known cultivars were found, the others being minor, lesser-known cultivars. Conclusion: This research provides an overview of the Montenegrin grapevine assortment. There are cultivars shared with other countries, mainly the neighbouring ones, while others are likely native to Montenegro. The Kratošija population (alias Primitivo, Zinfandel and Crljenak Kaštelanski) has a large number of different names in Montenegro and also a wide morphological variability. Therefore, Montenegro is the best candidate as the origin and spreading point of this cultivar. Significance and impact of the study: The present study adds information on the identity, origin, diffusion and variability of some grapevine cultivars, allowing us to reconstruct the history and evolution of national and transnational ampelographic assortment of Montenegro.
In Montenegro, red wines are produced predominantly, and Vranac accounts for nearly 80% of these wines, followed by Kratosija and Cabernet Sauvignon. In order to characterise polyphenols in red ...varieties, grapes were sampled from representative vineyards at harvest time during 2011 and 2012. The content and distribution of extractable anthocyanins, low-molecular mass proanthocyanidins (LMP) and high-molecular mass proanthocyanidins (HMP) in the seeds and skins of the grape berries were evaluated by applying a five-day extraction method using ethanol:water (12:88) as extraction solvent. On average, the highest content of LMP (2 006 and 1 690 mg/kg of grape fresh mass in years 2011 and 2012 respectively), HMP (2 705 and 2 805 mg/kg in years 2011 and 2012 respectively) and anthocyanins (1 035 mg/kg in the year 2011) was found in the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The highest content of anthocyanins (1 113 mg/kg in the year 2012) and the lowest content of LMP (1 103 and 846 mg/kg in years 2011 and 2012 respectively) was found in Vranac grapes. Kratosija grapes had the lowest anthocyanin content (456 and 517 mg/kg in years 2011 and 2012 respectively), and levels of LMP were similar to Vranac. The percentage distributions of LMP between skins and seeds were 34:66, 39:61 and 49:51, whereas the distributions of HMP between skins and seeds were 67:33, 62:38 and 64:36 for Vranac, Kratosija and Cabernet Sauvignon respectively. All varieties had more LMP in the seeds and more HMP in the skins of the grapes. The results obtained are important to better understand the polyphenolic potential of Montenegrin red grape varieties.
Viticulture production and winemaking of Montenegro are mostly based on growing of autochthonous grapevine varieties. Besides Vranac variety, Kratosija variety takes a significant place in ...Montenegrin autochthonous grapevine varieties. According to many literature data, Kratosija is an autochthonous grapevine variety whose origin and cultivation started earlier than with Vranac variety. Because of its heterogeneity, it is not so much represented in Montenegrin vineyards and it is mostly found in combination with Vranac variety. The research results about the origin of Vranac variety are shown in this paper. Furthermore, genetic identification which approved originality of Vranac variety is shown and it has also been approved that autochthonous variety Kratosija has the same genetic profile as cv. Zinfandel. The paper presents multi-annual results of examination of variability of their populations and work on clonal selection. Mother vines were selected and vineyards of pre-base and base category of Vranac variety potential clones were planted. The results achieved, in view of manifesting agro-biological, economic and technological characteristics, point to the need for further work on clonal selecton of these grapevine varieties.