Phenolic compounds of the first and second racking wine lees, including anthocyanins, were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS. Wine lees from both rackings displayed similar chromatographic profiles. Therefore, it was impossible to differentiate the qualitative results regarding phenolic compounds. On the other hand, those from the second racking presented, on average, concentration of polyphenols twice as high. While the ones from the first racking displayed ca. 1600 mg phenolic compounds and 400 mg anthocyanins per kg of dry matter, those from the second racking have shown ca. 3300 mg phenolic compounds and 700 mg anthocyanins per kg of dry matter. These outcomes indicate that, although the wine lees from the first racking can be employed as a resource for phenolic compounds recovery, those from the second racking are more appropriate for this purpose.
Keywords: Anthocyanin; First racking; Phenolic compounds; Polyphenols; Second racking; Wine lees.