The influence of pre-fermentative maceration and ageing factors on ester profile and marker determination of Pedro Ximenez sparkling wines

•Skin maceration and ageing factors modulated the ester profile of sparkling wines.•A different development on sparkling wine ester contents during ageing was found.•The aroma differentiation of sparkling wines was confirmed by chemometrics.•Esters as markers of skin maceration and ageing were reported for the first time.•EBBAs highlighted as ageing-markers and sensory contributors of sparkling wines.

The influence of pre-fermentative maceration and ageing factors on the ester profiles of Pedro Ximenez sparkling wines was evaluated. The pre-fermentative maceration consisted of the skin-maceration of musts at 10 °C for 6 h. The sparkling wines were produced following the Champenoise method. Samples were monitored at 3, 6 and 9 months of ageing on lees. Sparkling wines with pre-fermentative maceration displayed higher contents of ethyl esters of branched acids and cinnamates. Meanwhile, those without maceration showed higher levels of ethyl esters of fatty acids and higher alcohol acetates. The study of statistical interactions elucidated different hydrolytic kinetics and developments in higher alcohol acetates and ethyl esters of branched acids during ageing. The application of a dual criterion based on univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate analyses (OPLS-DA) allowed us to identify new potential volatile markers related to pre-fermentative maceration and ageing time, reported for the first time in sparkling wines.