The content and distribution of low molecular weight red wine pigments (anthocyanins, flavanol-anthocyanins adducts and pyranoanthocyanins) has been analysed in 283 wine samples. A total of 90 red wine pigments were identified and up to 68 of them quantified in most of the wine samples. The content of the different pigments classes accounted for wide ranges of values, because of the diversity of the commercial wines regarding grape cultivar and age. Garnacha young wines were prone to contain higher hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocyanin concentrations. The aging had an effect of making uniform the concentrations and molar percentages of every type of pigments, and only slight differences among wine groups were found for B-type vitisins (highest values for Syrah wines) and 10-hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocyanins (highest values for Merlot wines). Among Tempranillo wines, the ethylidene-bridged flavanol-anthocyanin adducts were the most affected by disappearance during aging, whereas hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocyanins increased their contribution in most of those aged wines.
Keywords: Anthocyanin; Flavanol–anthocyanin adduct; Pyranoanthocyanin; Red wine pigment; Vitisin; Wine aging.
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