Phenolic composition of red wines from Stanušina, a grape variety indigenous of the Republic of Macedonia, was compared with the regional Vranec and the international Cabernet Sauvignon. The extent of skin contact (i.e. maceration time) on levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of wines was evaluated. A total of 19 phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. Among these malvidin-3-glucoside and its derivatives were the major compounds, while caftaric acid was the predominant cinnamic acid derivative, followed by catechin, the main flavan-3-ol. The concentration of hydroxycinnamic acids, anthocyanins and (+)-catechin ranged from 224 to 511 mg/L, 22 to 360 mg/L and 26 20 to 375 mg/L, respectively and peaked at 3rd, 6th and 9th day of maceration, respectively. However, prolong maceration slightly decreased their concentration. Stanušina wines presented high levels of hydroxycinnamic acids and antioxidant activity.
Keywords: Anthocyanins; Autochthonous variety; HPLC; Phenolic acids; Skin contact; Stanušina.