Influence of blending on the aroma of Malvasia istriana wine

Malvasia istriana (Vitis vinifera) is a domestic and widespread grape cultivar in the Istrian wine region that gives the characteristic white wine. Istrian region is situated in the western part of Croatia (Adriatic coast). In the ageing process, Malvasia istriana loses its aroma (freshness and fruitiness) and hence it is usually consumed as a young wine. Therefore, blending is used to improve the quality of Malvasia istriana wine, to enrich its aroma and to maintain its varietal recognizability during the consumption period. Malvasia istriana base wine (85%) was blended with Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot blanc, Prosecco and Muscat, from grape varieties grown in the Istrian region. The change in volatile compounds of the blends was observed throughout the year by using headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME). Based on the analysis of the volatile compounds and sensory evaluation of the wine quality, the best result was obtained by blending Malvasia istriana with Sauvignon blanc and Pinot blanc. Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Prosecco proved to be suitable for blending with Malvasia istriana, giving blends of high quality of the desired aroma profile. Muscat wine blended independently with Malvasia istriana or in combination with other wines proved to be unsuitable for blending due to its specific muscat aroma which dominates over the base wine aroma in the blend. Blending Malvasia istriana with other selected wines produced wines of better sensory quality, richer in volatile compounds, which can justify the blending.