Micro-oxygenation and oak chip treatments of red wines: Effects on colour-related phenolics,volatile composition and sensory characteristics. Part II: Merlot wines

The character of Merlot wines after the treatments of micro-oxygenation and subsequent chips addition, as regards the colour-related phenolics, volatile composition and sensory characteristics, was studied. An increase in the degree of polymerisation of red pigments and a decrease in the value of the red component of the colour (a^*) and the degree of co-pigmentation were observed. The concentrations of monomeric anthocyanins and anthocyanin-derived pigments, such as hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocyanins and anthocyanin-ethyl-flavan-3-ol adducts, significantly decreased. With regard to the wine aroma, the micro-oxygenation produced a decrease of some esters, alcohols and benzenic compounds and increased some terpenes and C₁₃-norisoprenoids. With regard to sensorial analysis, micro-oxygenation treatment resulted in higher scores for the red fruit and spicy attributes and caused the presence of new attributes (nutty and sweet fruit). This technique produces a lower level of the typical oak chip aromas (vanilla and woody) in Merlot wines.     

Oak barrel maturation vs. micro-oxygenation: Effect on the formation of anthocyanin-derived pigments and wine colour

The objective of this study was to check whether micro-oxygenation (MO) could mimic oak barrel ageing as regard the effect on wine colour. A red wine was submitted to micro-oxygenation for three months while another lot from the same wine was matured in oak barrels for three or six months. After these times, oak-matured and micro-oxygenated wines were bottled and analyzed six months later. The chromatic characteristics of these wines were also compared with those of a control wine that remained in a stainless steel tank all the time. Anthocyanins and anthocyanin-derived compounds were studied by LC–ESI-MS. Monomeric anthocyanins and other compounds including direct anthocyanin–flavanol adducts, ethyl-linked anthocyanin–flavanol compounds, and pyranoanthocyanins were detected. The application of MO for three months produced wines with a lower concentration of monomeric anthocyanins and a higher concentration of vitisin-related pigments than the control wine, the oak mature wines showing similar results than MO wines when aged for the same period of time. Differences were also observed in the chromatic characteristics, the micro-oxygenated and the oak matured wines showing a higher colour intensity than control wine. However, after six months in bottle differences were found between the micro-oxygenated wines and oak matured wines, the latter showing a more stable colour, probably due to the beneficial effects of compounds extracted from the wood (e.g. ellagitannins or wood aldehydes).     

Techniques for improving or replacing ageing on lees of oak aged red wines: The effects on polysaccharides and the phenolic composition

Alternative techniques to the ageing on lees are being looked for in order to guarantee the improvements provided by this technique but eliminating its disadvantages. The aim of this work was to study the effect of ageing on lees and other alternative techniques (addition of β-glucanase enzymes to the lees; use of different yeast commercial preparations with or without β-glucanase enzymes; use of non-toasted oak chips; and ageing on lees together with micro-oxygenation) on the phenolic compounds, colour, proteins, polysaccharides and sensorial characteristics of red wines during vinification and ageing in oak barrels for 6 months on two consecutive vintages.     

Determination of phenolic compounds in wines: Influence of bottle storage of young red wines on their evolution

Various analytical methods based on the HPLC-DAD technique were used to determine 38 phenolic compounds in red wines. While anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic acids were determined by direct injection of wine samples, hydroxybenzoic acids, catechins, procyanidins and flavonols required an analytical pretreatment involving liquid–liquid partitioning with ethyl ether followed by solid-phase extraction on C₁₈ mini-columns. The proposed analytical methods were used to establish the phenol composition of Mencía and Brancellao, two varietal young red wines, and its influence on colour stability during storage in bottles for one year. At the end of malolactic fermentation, Mencía wine was found to contain much greater amounts of anthocyan pigments than was Brancellao wine. This resulted in a higher colour density but a weaker hue in Mencía wine than in Brancellao wine. Phenolic compounds evolved similarly in both wines during storage; changes in such compounds involved a decrease in the levels of monomeric anthocyanins, phenolic acids, epicatechin and flavonols, and an increase in those of procyanidins. The absence of a relationship between the changes in colour density and monomeric anthocyanins in both wines suggests that copigmentation and polymerization with other phenolic compounds (viz. phenolic acids, catechins and/or flavonols) prevail over degradation of the pigments.     

Effect of micro-oxygenation on the evolution of aromatic compounds in wines: Malolactic fermentation and ageing in wood

The effect of micro-oxygenation on the aromas of two varietal wines (Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon) when alcoholic fermentation is complete was examined. Several factors, such as whether malolactic fermentation (MLF) took place in barrels or stainless steel vats and ageing time in oak barrels, were taken into account. Major aroma components were studied using GC-FID and minor compounds were studied by GC-MS analysis before and after MLF and after 4 and 8 months of maturation in oak barrels. Sensorial analysis was performed to describe and quantify the different wine notes. Micro-oxygenation affects different compounds but the effect depends to a great extent on the grape varietal used; the effect of micro-oxygenation was more marked on the aroma of Cabernet Sauvignon wine than Tempranillo wines. The concentration of extractable compounds of wood was higher in wines after MLF in barrels than in wines after MLF in steel vats; wines with steel vat MLF had fewer toast and wood notes. The compounds that showed significant differences in concentration after 8 months of maturation were present in higher concentrations in wines fermented in barrels than in stainless steel vats. Barrel-fermented wines were sweeter, with wood and toast notes, fewer alcohol notes and fewer reductive notes.     

Effect of the winemaking technique on phenolic composition and chromatic characteristics in young red wines

The effect of six winemaking techniques (traditional, prefermentative maceration, delestage, Ganimede fermentation system, enzymes and tannins addition, or oak chip addition during alcoholic fermentation) on phenolic composition and chromatic characteristics of young red wines, elaborated from Mencía grapes grown in Galicia (northwestern Spain), was studied. The evolution of phenolic compounds from grapes to bottling and its influence on CIELab parameters were investigated. After bottling, 26 phenolic compounds were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and their influence on colour stability for ageing was evaluated. Principal component analysis allowed the differentiation of the winemaking techniques studied on the base of phenolic composition, which is correlated with polymerization grade of anthocyanins. This paper can contribute to improve the knowledge about the importance of selecting the winemaking technique to elaborate high-quality young red wines and to evaluate their ability for ageing. So, the addition of enzymes and tannins seems to be the most adequate winemaking technique to elaborate red wines for ageing as it results in the formation of major number of pigmented polymers that are stable over time. Nevertheless, the prefermentative maceration, Ganimede autowinemaker and the addition of oak chips can be used for the elaboration of young red wines.     

Phenolic compounds in a Spanish red wine aged in barrels made of Spanish,French and American oak wood

A red Rioja wine was aged in barrels made of Spanish oak wood for 21 months. The evolutions of colour percentage intensity, families of phenolic compounds and low molecular weight phenolic compounds were studied in these wines and compared with those of the same wine aged in barrels made of French and American oak. The analysis of chromatic parameters and total anthocyanins indicates that the wines aged in Spanish and French oak wood barrels have similar chromatic characteristics, but are significantly different to those of wines aged in barrels made of American oak wood, indicating a different degree of modification of the colour. The ageing process also had an important influence on the low molecular weight polyphenols composition of wine. The evolution of these components allowed the production of wines with different characteristics, in relation to the type of wood used in barrel making process. On the other hand, Spanish oak wood can be considered suitable for barrel production for quality wines, since a wine aged in barrels made of Spanish oak wood showed similar and intermediate characteristics to those of the same wine aged in French and American oak woods.     

Astringency,bitterness and color changes in dry red wines before and during oak barrel aging: An updated phenolic perspective review

To understand effects of using oak barrels on the astringency, bitterness and color of dry red wines, phenolic reactions in wines before and after barrel aging are reviewed in this paper, which has been divided into three sections. The first section includes an introduction to chemical reactivities of grape-derived phenolic compounds, a summary of the phenolic reactions that occur in dry red wines before barrel aging, and a discussion of the effects of these reactions on wine astringency, bitterness and color. The second section introduces barrel types that determine the oak barrel constituents in wines (primarily oak aldehydes and ellagitannins) and presents reactions between the oak constituents and grape-derived phenolic compounds that may modulate wine astringency, bitterness and color. The final section illustrates the chemical differences between basic oxidation and over-oxidation in wines, discusses oxygen consumption kinetics in wines during barrel aging by comparing different oxygen consumption kinetics observed previously by others, and speculates on the possible preliminary phenolic reactions that occur in dry red wines during oak barrel aging that soften tannins and stabilize pigments via basic oxidation. Additionally, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) addition during barrel aging and suitability of adopting oak barrels for aging wines are briefly discussed.     

Interactions of phenolic and volatile compounds with yeast lees,commercial yeast derivatives and non toasted chips in model solutions and young red wines

Ageing of wines on lees, the use of commercial yeast derivative products and the addition of oak chips to wine permit the release of different compounds such as mannoproteins and polysaccharides into wines during yeast autolysis. These compounds released can interact with phenolic compounds and/or aromatic compounds, also modifying wine sensory perception. For that reason, the aim of this work was to evaluate the interaction of phenolic and volatile compounds of wines with yeast lees, non-toasted oak wood chips and different commercial yeast derivative preparations in model wine solutions and in a real red wine. The results found in this study have shown that most of the phenolic and volatile compounds studied are adsorbed by wood and bound by lees in model wine solutions. However, in the model wines in general, the commercial yeast derivative products studied only interacted with the volatile compounds but not with the phenolic compounds. The adsorption of the phenolic compounds occurred in the first 15 days of treatment, remaining constant for 2 months; however, in the case of volatile compounds, these compounds initially displayed a retention effect, but after 30–60 days, the release of the previously bound compounds was instigated. The adsorption effect on the phenolic and volatile compounds in the model wine solution was not always the same as in the red wine studied, which highlights the important presence of other wine compounds in these interactions.     

Modification of the polyphenolic and aromatic fractions of red wines aged on lees assisted with ultrasound

The ageing on lees is a technique particularly interesting in the production of red wines due to the possibility of enhancing some of their sensory characteristics. Different authors have researched the ultrasound assistance to accelerate this ageing process in wines. The present work evaluated the modification that both fractions, polyphenolic and aromatic, of red wines suffer during the ageing on lees process assisted with ultrasounds and with the addition of oak chips. The results obtained during the experimental design indicate that the ultrasound treatment decreased the concentration of proanthocyanidins (between 20.3% and 32.8% with and without oak chips, respectively) and the total pigment content (with the highest reduction in the control sonicated wine 55.9% without chips and lees and from 47.8% to 48.9% when having oak chips/lees and lees, respectively). In addition, it has been observed that the ultrasound treatment did not affect the amount of fermentative volatile compounds present in the wine but, it increased the concentration of phenolic aldehydes coming from oak wood chips (10.8% in control wine and from 35.92% with oak chips/lees to 55.8% with lees).     

Volatile composition of Bobal red wines subjected to alcoholic/malolactic fermentation with oak chips

The effect of wood, in the form of oak chips, on the volatile composition of Bobal red wines caused by adding oak chips at different stages of the fermentation process has been studied. Aroma compounds were isolated by solid phase extraction (SPE) for subsequent analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Bobal control wine was produced according to traditional winemaking processes, without oak chips. Oak chips were added to the rest of the wines at two dose levels (3 and 6 g/L) at different stages of the winemaking process: at one week during alcoholic fermentation (AF), during malolactic fermentation (MLF) and in young, red Bobal wine. Wines fermented with oak chips during AF showed higher concentrations of the ethyl esters of straight-chain fatty acids and ethyl, hexyl and isoamyl acetates than the control wine. A similar, trend was observed for higher alcohols. Higher concentrations of benzene compounds, oak lactones and furanic compounds were found in wines in contact with oak chips during MLF followed by young Bobal oak wines. These results reveal that the point of addition during the winemaking process and the dose level of oak chips used have a significant effect on the volatile composition of Bobal red wines.     

The impact of oxygen exposure before and after bottling on the polyphenolic composition of red wines

The impact of moderate oxygen exposure after bottling on wine phenolic composition and colour properties has been investigated on four Grenache red wines showing high and low phenolic contents, obtained by flash release (FR) and traditional soaking (Trad), respectively, and processed with (Mox, 4.6 mg l⁻¹ O₂) or without (noMox) micro-oxygenation. Four oxygen transfer rate (OTR) conditions (0.8, 1.9, 8.0, and 11.9 μl oxygen/bottle/day) were ensured by using synthetic closures with controlled oxygen permeability and storage under controlled atmosphere. Wine phenolic composition and colour were monitored by triplicate analysis of bottles sampled at bottling (T0) and after 5 and 10 months of ageing. Phenolic composition was determined by reverse-phase HPLC-DAD–MS analysis, performed directly on the wines and after phloroglucinolysis for proanthocyanidins. Colour was evaluated by UV–visible spectrophotometry and tristimulus colorimetry. At T0, FR wines contained larger amounts of catechins, proanthocyanidins and hydroxycinnamic acids and slightly lower amounts of anthocyanins than the Trad wines while the Mox wines showed higher levels of some derived pigments, especially carboxypyranoanthocyanins, resulting from reactions of anthocyanins with pyruvate. During ageing, a progressive decrease of proanthocyanidins and hydroxycinnamic acid concentrations was observed, independently of OTR. In contrast, the loss of free SO₂, flavan-3-ol monomers and the conversion rate of anthocyanins to new pigments, especially into sulphite bleaching resistant pigments, increased with OTR levels. Among derived pigments, carboxypyranoanthocyanins levels increased both with micro-oxygenation and with OTR and can be considered as oxidation markers while flavan-3-ol–anthocyanin adducts were formed in larger amounts with lower oxygen exposure.     

Influence of sequential inoculum of Starmerella bacillaris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on flavonoid composition of monovarietal Sangiovese wines

The selection of Starmerella bacillaris strains to be used with Saccharomyces cerevisiae as mixed cultures has been recently suggested in order to produce wines containing lower ethanol and higher glycerol concentrations and to promote fructose degradation due to their fructophilic character. However, studies about effects of such mixed starter cultures on phenolic compounds, which are responsible for the colour and health-enhancing properties in red wines, are currently lacking. Therefore, in this work, the influence of sequential inoculated fermentation (SIF) with Starm. bacillaris and S. cerevisiae on phenolic content of monovarietal Sangiovese wine was evaluated by fermentations at laboratory scale. Axenic fermentations (AXFs) with S. cerevisiae were performed as control. S. cerevisiae attained higher cell densities in AXF compared with SIF. The experimental wines obtained by SIF showed significant lower ethanol and higher glycerol concentrations, whereas no significant difference was detected in colour intensity. The total phenol index reached significantly lower values in SIF. Furthermore, the wines produced by SIF contained higher concentrations of vitisin A that has a greater colour stability than the anthocyanin monomer. Finally, a lower content of both free anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols, key compounds for wine quality possessing also health-enhancing properties, was found in wines obtained by SIF. On the contrary, no significant difference was detected on flavonol concentration between SIF and AXF. This study highlighted that the use of sequential inoculum of Starm. bacillaris and S. cerevisiae can contribute to increasing the colour stability of red wines, even if at the expense of compounds with health properties.     

Improvement of winemaking process using pulsed electric fields at pilot-plant scale. Evolution of chromatic parameters and phenolic content of Cabernet Sauvignon red wines

The influence of the application of a continuous pulsed electric fields treatment (PEF treatment) to grape pomace on the evolution of colour and phenolic content of Cabernet Sauvignon red wines has been investigated. Wine from grape treated by PEF presented at the end of alcoholic fermentation higher colour intensity (CI), total polyphenol index (TPI) and total anthocyanic content (TAC) than control wine. This effect was observed even although maceration time for PEF wine was 48 h shorter than for control. Differences remained during malolactic fermentation and maturation. After 4 months of aging in bottle, CI, TPI and TAC of PEF wine were 38%, 22% and 11% higher respectively than the control. HPLC phenolic profiles of wines were qualitatively similar, without detecting a selective effect on any phenol. No significant differences in sensory attributes between wines were detected. Results indicate that PEF is a promising technology in red winemaking for reducing the maceration time and increasing colour and phenolic extraction.     

Multivariate statistical analysis for the classification of oak-aged wines based on their chromatic characteristics

The objective of this study was to characterise oak-aged wines according to the ageing conditions by measuring colour and phenolic compounds, and to study the correlations between the studied variables to understand the relationship among them, and help to clarify some of the mechanisms involved in the modification of colour during wine ageing. The results show that the colour of aged wines can be mainly attributed to polymeric compounds and not to monomeric anthocyanins; the cluster analysis showed that the samples could be mainly separated as regards the age of the barrel. The discriminant analysis achieved a good sample separation regarding oak origin and barrel age.     

Effect of ripening stage of grapes on the low molecular weight phenolic compounds of red wines

Different red wines were elaborated to study the effect of the date of the grape harvest on the levels of individual low molecular weight phenolic compounds, which are chiefly responsible for the wine color. Two red grape varieties and two consecutive years were studied at three different harvesting stages of grapes, and the changes during the 18 months of wine aging (12 months in oak barrels and 6 months in the bottle) were also followed. The results showed that the wines made from grapes harvested 1 week later than the usual date generally had higher contents of some simple phenols, which can act as cofactors that can maintain the color intensity and violet tonalities in aged wines. Besides, these wines had lower levels of caftaric and coutaric acids, which are two of the main substrates for oxidation and browning processes.     

A review on micro-oxygenation of red wines: Claims,benefits and the underlying chemistry

Micro-oxygenation is the process of deliberately introducing minute, measured amounts of oxygen into wines, with the aim of bringing about desirable changes in colour, aroma and texture. It involves the use of specialised equipment to regulate the doses of oxygen that are administered. The main claims concerning the effect of micro-oxygenation in wines include an improvement in the health of yeasts during alcoholic fermentation, better wine colour and stability, more complex organoleptic characteristics, a reduction in sulphur off-odours and, also, the ability to mimic the reactions that occur during wine oak-ageing. In this paper we review the different claims and the chemistry that underlies these claims and discuss the most important factors that should be taken into account when applying micro-oxygenation and the most recent innovations.