Studies Regarding the Main Compositional Parameters and Some Volatile Compounds in Spirits from Iaşi Vineyard

The distillates obtained from wine, both raw and aged, are highly appreciated alcoholic beverages due to the refinement and fineness that characterizes them. Romania’s viticultural conditions are very favourable for these products - which in the last centuries have made regions such as Cognac and Armagnac in France famous. In Romania the aged distillate of wine is called “vinars” and in the Republic of Moldova it is named “divin”. This study analyses how the main compositional parameters and volatile compounds are influenced by the raw material wine, distillation technology, distillation steps, removal of the lower-quality fractions (heads and tails). The raw material used to make the distillates was a mixture of two wines of Fetească albă and Fetească regală, harvest of 2015, from Iasi vineyard. The proposed experimental protocol consisted of the double distillation of a volume of 1000 L of raw material. For the distillation, a simple copper distillery with a deflector was used. From each 10 L of distillate obtained, samples were taken and analysed via gas-chromatography. In the first and second distillation, the largest amounts of acetic acid are found in the head. The highest concentrations of octanoic acid are recorded in tails, as does hexanoic acid. The product obtained after the first distillation recorded an average alcoholic strength of 33.5% vol, which increased after the second distillation, so that the final distillate has an alcoholic strength of 58.5% vol. Concerning the acid profile, the following can be concluded: Acetic acid can be considerably diminished with the removal of the head fractions; Octanoic, hexanoic and decanoic acids fall into the class of short chain fatty acids, can affect the organoleptic qualities but are easily esterify the resulting compounds giving pleasing odour; aging in oak or mulberry wood barrels of crude distillates to achieve the maximum potential is recommended