About

The Mansfield Research Lab, led by Professor Anna Katharine Mansfield, operates at the intersection of enology, chemistry, sensory science, and viticulture. The lab focuses on addressing practical challenges faced by small, local wineries, aiming to solve pressing questions within the wine industry while also exploring fundamental unanswered questions in the world of wine. Recent research efforts have included studies on fermentation nutrition, fermentation kinetics, yeast strain identification, and phenolic composition. On a broader scale, the lab investigates how these variables influence consumer perception and acceptance of wines. The lab's work reflects a commitment to both applied and fundamental research in enology, contributing valuable insights to the field.

Research topics

• Biology
• Botany
• Genetics
• Horticulture
• Agronomy
• Chemistry

Selected publications

• Phenolic and anthocyanin profile characterization of five disease resistant grape cultivars in septentrional context of France

  Food Chemistry · 2026-02-17

  articleOpen access

  Climate change has prompted the wine industry's growing interest in disease resistant interspecific hybrid wine grapes. Phenolic compounds, and specifically anthocyanins, play a powerful sensory and quality perception role in wine, but the anthocyanin profile of hybrid grapes can differ from those of traditional species Vitis vinifera L. To optimize winemaking strategies, there is a need for a better understanding of hybrid grape and wine composition. In this work, the phenolic compositions, anthocyanin profiles, and color parameters were evaluated and quantified for the five interspecific hybrid red wine grapes Vidoc, Coliris, Artaban, Chambourcin, and Divico ( Vitis spp.) and their wines. These cultivars were assessed concurrently with Pinot noir, an emblematic septentrional V. vinifera cultivar known for its unique anthocyanin composition, sourced from multiple locations in Burgundy, France. This characterization sets the groundwork for further exploration of anthocyanin and phenolic interactions through wine color evolution in disease resistant wines. • Phenolic profiles of novel disease-resistant wine cultivars quantified. • Similar parentage among cultivars does not determine similar phenolic profiles. • Differing anthocyanin profiles can still present similar color expressions. • Not all disease-resistant hybrid cultivars contained diglucoside anthocyanins. • Hybrid wine grapes exhibit appropriate characteristics to produce high-quality wine.

  PublisherDOI

• The Impact of Extended Skin Contact on Phenolic Extraction in Skin-fermented Hybrid White Wines

  Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences · 2025-06-20

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background. With growing interest in skin-fermented white wines, more winemakers in North America are producing this style of wine with cold-tolerant, interspecific hybrid grape varieties rather than only <i>Vitis vinifera</i> species. Objective. In this study we sought to characterize the level of phenolic extraction using extended skin contact post-fermentation using two hybrid white grape cultivars. Alcoholic fermentations were conducted with Cayuga White and Vidal Blanc separately, followed by five months of extended skin contact post-fermentation. Phenolic compounds and color quantification were monitored over the course of post-fermentative aging on grape skins. The parameters were analyzed using standard UV/Visible spectroscopy and HPLC-MS-based methods. Conclusions. For both hybrid cultivars, there were no significant changes in phenolic content or in brown or yellow color over five months of post-fermentation skin contact. Under the winemaking conditions used in this study, for the interspecific hybrid grape cultivars Cayuga White and Vidal Blanc, we found that extended skin contact did not increase phenolic extraction beyond the level achieved by completion of alcoholic fermentation, providing useful guidance for winemakers to make production decisions regarding potential benefits (increased compound extraction) and risks (increased spoilage or oxidation potential due to longer periods of atmospheric exposure) of extended skin contact post-fermentation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Unique Anthocyanin Profile of Disease-Resistant Grapes and Wine: Implications for copigmentation

  HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · 2024-09-17

  article

  International audience

  Publisher

• Customer satisfaction and sale performance in New York State brewery tasting rooms

  Agricultural and Resource Economics Review · 2023-03-14 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The US craft brewery industry has grown steadily in recent years before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of small, independently owned craft breweries rely on tasting rooms for revenues and profits. Using data collected from a survey of tasting room visitors from 21 craft breweries in New York, this research investigates factors influencing visitors’ customer satisfaction (CS) and the link between brewery tasting room CS and sales performance. The results show that brewery interior ambience, beer tasting execution, and friendliness and knowledge of servers are the main factors influencing CS in tasting rooms. Furthermore, results suggest that higher CS levels increase visitors’ purchase likelihood and beer purchase amounts (by volume and value). These findings indicate that breweries should focus on such factors as strengthening staff training, enhancing tasting room ambience, and improving beer tasting execution that have the highest positive influence on CS to increase sales. This study has implications for the rapidly growing craft brewery industry in the USA.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Stable QTL for malate levels in ripe fruit and their transferability across <i>Vitis</i> species

  Horticulture Research · 2022 · 16 citations

  • Biology
  • Botany
  • Genetics

  genus, a conclusion supported by a review of over a dozen publications from the past decade, showing malate-associated genetic loci on all 19 chromosomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Berry Anthocyanin, Acid, and Volatile Trait Analyses in a Grapevine-Interspecific F2 Population Using an Integrated GBS and rhAmpSeq Genetic Map

  Plants · 2022-03-04 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Increased map density and transferability of markers are essential for the genetic analysis of fruit quality and stress tolerance in interspecific grapevine populations. We used 1449 GBS and 2000 rhAmpSeq markers to develop a dense map for an interspecific F2 population (VRS-F2) that was derived by selfing a single F1 from a Vitis riparia x ‘Seyval blanc’ cross. The resultant map contained 2519 markers spanning 1131.3 cM and was highly collinear with the Vitis vinifera ‘PN40024’ genome. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for berry skin color and flower type were used to validate the map. Four rhAmpSeq transferable markers were identified that can be used in pairs (one pistillate and one hermaphroditic) to predict pistillate and hermaphrodite flower type with ≥99.7% accuracy. Total and individual anthocyanin diglucoside QTL mapped to chromosome 9 near a 5-O-GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE candidate gene. Malic acid QTL were observed on chromosome 1 and 6 with two MALATE DEHYRDROGENASE CYTOPLASMIC 1 and ALUMINUM-ACTIVATED MALATE TRANSPORTER 2-LIKE (ALMT) candidate genes, respectively. Modeling malic acid identified a potential QTL on chromosome 8 with peak position in proximity of another ALMT. A first-ever reported QTL for the grassy smelling volatile (E)-2-hexenal was found on chromosome 2 with a PHOSPHOLIPID HYDROPEROXIDE GLUTATHIONE PEROXIDASE candidate gene near peak markers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Genetic Basis of Anthocyanin Acylation in North American Grapes (Vitis spp.)

  Genes · 2021-12-09 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Hydroxycinnamylated anthocyanins (or simply ‘acylated anthocyanins’) increase color stability in grape products, such as wine. Several genes that are relevant for anthocyanin acylation in grapes have been previously described; however, control of the degree of acylation in grapes is complicated by the lack of genetic markers quantitatively associated with this trait. To characterize the genetic basis of anthocyanin acylation in grapevine, we analyzed the acylation ratio in two closely related biparental families, Vitis rupestris B38 × ‘Horizon’ and ‘Horizon’ × Illinois 547-1, for 2 and 3 years, respectively. The acylation ratio followed a bimodal and skewed distribution in both families, with repeatability estimates larger than 0.84. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping with amplicon-based markers (rhAmpSeq) identified a strong QTL from ‘Horizon’ on chromosome 3, near 15.85 Mb in both families and across years, explaining up to 85.2% of the phenotypic variance. Multiple candidate genes were identified in the 14.85–17.95 Mb interval, in particular, three copies of a gene encoding an acetyl-CoA-benzylalcohol acetyltransferase-like protein within the two most strongly associated markers. Additional population-specific QTLs were found in chromosomes 9, 10, 15, and 16; however, no candidate genes were described. The rhAmpSeq markers reported here, which were previously shown to be highly transferable among the Vitis genus, could be immediately implemented in current grapevine breeding efforts to control the degree of anthocyanin acylation and improve the quality of grapes and their products.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Foliar Urea Applications Increase Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen Concentration and Alcoholic Fermentation Rate in ‘Red Spy’ Apples Used for Cider Production

  HortScience · 2020-07-15 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) can be a limiting nutritional factor for Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast when fermenting apple ( Malus × domestica Borkh.) juice into hard cider. Endogenous YAN concentrations in apples are often below the recommended thresholds to completely use all of the fermentable sugar and minimize the production of off-flavors, such as hydrogen sulfide. Cider producers supplement apple juice with exogenous nitrogen to increase YAN. Urea, commonly applied to apple orchards to increase fruit size and yields, was tested for its ability to increase endogenous apple juice YAN. Starting 6 weeks before harvest in 2017 and 2018, a 1% urea solution was applied to ‘Red Spy’ apple trees one, three, or five times to create low-, medium-, and high-rate treatments, respectively. Relative to the control, the high treatment increased YAN by 229% in 2017 and by 408% in 2018. More than 90% of the YAN in all juice samples was composed of primary amino nitrogen (PAN). Among all treatments, PAN mostly comprised asparagine, and as urea applications increased, the relative concentration of asparagine also increased. Aspartic acid and then glutamic acid were the second and third most abundant amino acids in all treatments, respectively, but comprised less of the total PAN as the number of urea applications increased. Soluble solid concentration, pH, titratable acidity, and total polyphenol concentration were not different among treatments. There was a positive correlation between increased urea application rate and the maximum fermentation rate, which resulted in a shorter fermentation duration. Increasing the number of urea applications was also correlated with greater hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) production in juice fermented from fruit harvested in 2017 but not for fruit harvested in 2018. No residual H 2 S was found in the finished cider from any treatment. Increasing the number of urea applications was estimated to be less expensive than supplementing the juice with Fermaid O™. There would have been no cost savings if Fermaid K™ was used as an exogenous nitrogen source. Foliar urea applications were estimated to be more expensive than supplementing juice with diammonium phosphate. This study demonstrated that foliar urea applications can effectively increase YAN concentration in cider apples while not negatively affecting other juice quality attributes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Soil Nitrogen Fertilization Increases Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen Concentrations in ‘Golden Russet’ and ‘Medaille d’Or’ Apples Used for Cider Production

  HortScience · 2020 · 11 citations

  • Agronomy
  • Chemistry
  • Horticulture

  The recent growth in the U.S. hard-cider industry has increased the demand for cider apples ( Malus × domestica Borkh.), but little is known about how to manage orchard soil fertility best to optimize horticultural performance and juice characteristics for these cultivars. To assess whether nitrogen fertilizer applied to the soil can improve apple juice and cider quality, calcium nitrate (CaNO 3 ) fertilizer was applied at different rates to the soil beneath ‘Golden Russet’ and ‘Medaille d’Or’ trees over the course of three growing seasons. The experiment started when the trees were in their second leaf. The trees were cropped in their third and fourth leaf. At the end of the first growing season of the experiment, the greatest fertilizer rate increased tree trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) by 82% relative to the control, but this difference did not persist through to the end of the study. Yield and crop load were unaffected by the nitrogen fertilization treatments. Increasing the nitrogen fertilizer rate correlated positively with more advanced harvest maturity in ‘Golden Russet’ fruit, which resulted in greater soluble solid concentration (SSC). Fruit from the greatest fertilizer rate treatment had an average starch pattern index (SPI) that was 1 U greater than in the control, and an SSC that was 3% greater than the control. The fertilizer treatments did not affect juice pH, titratable acidity (TA), or total polyphenol concentrations. Yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) concentrations were increased by nitrogen fertilization for both cultivars in both harvest years. The greatest fertilizer treatment increased juice primary amino nitrogen by 103% relative to the control. Greater nitrogen fertilization rates correlated positively with less hydrogen sulfide production during the fermentation of ‘Golden Russet’ juice from the first, but not the second, harvest. During the first year, cumulative hydrogen sulfide production for the ‘Golden Russet’ control treatment was 29.6 μg·L –1 compared with the ‘Golden Russet’ high treatment, which cumulatively produced 0.1 μg·L –1 . Greater maximum fermentation rates and shorter fermentation durations correlated positively with increased fertilization rate for both cultivars after the second harvest. High treatment fermentations had maximum fermentation rates 110% greater, and fermentation durations 30% shorter than the control. Other horticultural and juice-quality parameters were not affected negatively by the CaNO 3 treatments. In orchards producing apples specifically for the hard-cider industry, nitrogen fertilizer could increase juice YAN, thus reducing the need for exogenous additions during cider production.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Stable QTL for malate levels in ripe fruit and their transferability across <i>Vitis</i> species

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2020-12-14 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Malate is a major contributor to the sourness of grape berries ( Vitis spp.) and their products, such as wine. Excessive malate at maturity, commonly observed in wild Vitis grapes, is detrimental to grape and wine quality and complicates the introgression of valuable disease resistance and cold hardy genes through breeding. This study investigated an interspecific Vitis family that exhibited strong and stable variation in malate at ripeness for five years and tested the separate contribution of accumulation, degradation, and dilution to malate concentration in ripe fruit in the last year of study. Genotyping was performed using transferable rhAmpSeq haplotype markers, based on the Vitis collinear core genome. Three significant QTL for ripe fruit malate on chromosomes 1, 7, and 17, accounted for over two-fold and 6.9 g/L differences in ripe fruit malate, and explained 40.6% of the phenotypic variation. QTL on chromosomes 7 and 17 were stable in all and in three out of five years, respectively. Variation in pre-veraison malate was the major contributor to variation in ripe fruit malate (39%) and their associated QTL overlapped on chromosome 7, indicating a common genetic basis. However, use of transferable markers on a closely related Vitis family did not yield a common QTL across families. This suggests that diverse physiological mechanisms regulate the levels of this key metabolite in the Vitis genus, a conclusion supported by a review of over a dozen publications from the past decade, showing malate-associated genetic loci on all 19 chromosomes.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Gavin L. Sacks

  Cornell University

  31 shared

• David C. Manns

  New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

  30 shared

• Paolo Sabbatini

  University of Turin

  22 shared

• Timothy E. Martinson

  Iowa State University

  18 shared

• Justine E. Vanden Heuvel

  Cornell University

  15 shared

• Debra Inglis

  Brock University

  14 shared

• Mark Nisbet

  Barrington Public Library

  14 shared

• Bruce I. Reisch

  Cornell University

  13 shared

Education

• M.S.

  University of Minnesota

• B.S.

  Virginia Tech