Co-fermentation of intact grape clusters and stalk: a natural and economical strategy to modulate nutraceutical and sensory features of Syrah variety

Syrah grapes harvested during the 2017 crop season in a biodynamic farm located in a hillside area around Lucca (Tuscany) were processed following a whole bunch winemaking, and the results were compared with those obtained by a traditional destemming winemaking in order to explore the potential quality of this kind of grape. With the aim to verify the impact of co-fermentation of intact grape clusters and stalk, both chemical and sensory profiles of wines were discussed soon after racking off as well as after 10 moths of ageing, and particular attention was paid to phenolic and aromatic compounds. Our results show that co-fermentation of intact grape clusters and stalk can be profitably applied in order to improve the nutraceutical features of Syrah wines as well as to emphasize their aromatic expression, thus allowing to significantly speed up their ageing phase.