Effect of the Traditional, Charmat and Asti method production on the volatile composition of Moscato Giallo sparkling wines

The aim of this study was to characterize the volatile composition of Moscato Giallo sparkling wines produced by Traditional, Charmat and Asti methods. The phenolic composition and in vitro antioxidant activity of the sparkling wines were also investigated. The sparkling wines were manufactured from the same grape must applying three production methods and the volatile composition was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC/FID) and with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Sparkling wines produced by the Traditional method had the highest concentration of volatile compounds, and the sparkling wines produced by the Asti method showed the lowest concentration. The higher alcohol 2-phenylethanol was the volatile compound found in the highest concentration in all sparkling wines (6118.084–8226.558 μg L−1). The ethyl octanoate ester, described as conferring a pineapple flavor, was present in high concentration in all sparkling wines analyzed, principally in the samples produced using the Traditional method (1229.184 μg L−1). In relation to the terpenes, the highest concentrations were observed for linalool and α-terpineol and their content significantly contributed to the aromatic characteristics of the sparkling wines (odor activity value OAV > 4). Principal component analysis confirmed the effect of the production methods on the volatile composition of Moscato Giallo sparkling wines, which separated the samples into three distinct groups according to the method used. These results indicate that the method used to produce the sparkling wines significantly influenced the volatile composition of the final product.