Astringency estimation of wines maturing in different types of containers

Astringency is a parameter of great importance for wine quality. During wine maturation in wooden barrels it can be enhanced by tannins extracted by the wood. However, their concentration is not directly correlated with astringency. Mean Degree of Polymerization (mDP) is often employed to characterize the structural characteristics of tannins in wines, providing also information on their proanthocyanidin content. The prodelphinidin content (%P), as well as the percentage of epigallocatechin (EGC) in extension and terminal units, have been negatively linked with astringency. Since the intensity of astringency is a decisive factor for the quality of a barrel-aged wine in this experiment, the structural characteristics of wine proanthocyanidins were determined in four different Greek wines, two white (Vilana and Dafni) and two red (Kotsifali and Mandilari). All wines matured for nine months in different types of containers (stainless steel tanks and barrels made of different woods). The prodelphinidin (terminal or extension) content was determined by means of phloroglucinolysis, followed by HPLC-UV-MS analysis, while astringency was assessed by a panel of trained tasters. Multivariate analysis showed that only white wines that matured in Acacia barrels contained high %P values independently of the variety used and were characterized as less astringent by the panel. Moreover, the determination of %extension and terminal EGC units revealed that the tannins of the wines maturing in Acacia barrels, contain higher amounts of EGC as terminal units. These findings could be used by winemakers in order to select the appropriate type of barrel according to the type of wine. Keywords: Astringency, proanthocyanidin, tannin, barre

Red Wine Age Estimation by the Alteration of Its Color Parameters: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool to Monitor Wine Maturation Time

Color, phenolic content, and chemical age values of red wines made from Cretan grape varieties (Kotsifali, Mandilari) were evaluated over nine months of maturation in different containers for two vintages. The wines differed greatly on their anthocyanin profiles. Mid-IR spectra were also recorded with the use of a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer in ZnSe disk mode. Analysis of Variance was used to explore the parameter’s dependency on time. Determination models were developed for the chemical age indexes using Partial Least Squares (PLS) (TQ Analyst software) considering the spectral region 1830–1500 cm−1. The correlation coefficients (r) for chemical age index i were 0.86 for Kotsifali (Root Mean Square Error of Calibration (RMSEC) = 0.067, Root Mean Square Error of Prediction (RMSEP) = 0,115, and Root Mean Square Error of Validation (RMSECV) = 0.164) and 0.90 for Mandilari (RMSEC = 0.050, RMSEP = 0.040, and RMSECV = 0.089). For chemical age index ii the correlation coefficients (r) were 0.86 and 0.97 for Kotsifali (RMSEC 0.044, RMSEP = 0.087, and RMSECV = 0.214) and Mandilari (RMSEC = 0.024, RMSEP = 0.033, and RMSECV = 0.078), respectively. The proposed method is simpler, less time consuming, and more economical and does not require chemical reagents