Impact of a post-fermentative maceration with overripe seeds on the color stability of red wines

Abstract

With the purpose of modulating the copigmentation equilibria of red wines, an environmentally sustainable process was performed based on post-fermentative addition of overripe seeds (OS). Simple (SW) and double (DW) addition were performed to produce different enrichment of phenolics from seeds, hence different copigmentation/polymerization ratios. The determination of the phenolic composition showed different global increases in OS-macerates wines (catechin, epicatechin, gallic acid and procyanidins B1 and B2). The double post-maceration (DW) was more effective than the simple post-maceration addition to improve the phenolic structure of wines. The application of Differential Tristimulus Colorimetry could assess the effects of this practice on the color characteristics and stability of wines. Results highlighted that both simple and double assays underwent colorimetric improvements against the control wines (CW, no seeds addition). DW led to the highest chromatic stability, showing lower lightness, higher chroma values and bluish hues than CW. This color difference was visually detectable.

Keywords: Copigmentation; Overripe grapes; Phenolic composition; Post-fermentative maceration; Red wine color.