A review of the current knowledge of red wine colour

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2017

Authors

Fernandes, A (Author) Other; Joana Oliveira (Author) FCUP; Teixeira, N (Author) Other; Nuno Mateus (Author) FCUP; Victor de Freitas (Author) FCUP

Journal

Title: Journal International des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin

Vol. 51

Pages: 1-21

ISSN: 1151-0285

Publisher: Vigne et Vin Publications Internationales

Indexing

Scopus - 31 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00R-SEW

Abstract (EN): Anthocyanins are the main compounds present in young red wines, being responsible for their intense red colour. These pigments are mainly located in grape skins and their extractability during winemaking depends on many factors, such as their concentration in vacuoles and interaction with the cell-wall polysaccharides, affecting their stability and concentration in the must. The red colour of anthocyanins at wine pH is explained by the stabilization of the flavylium cation form which displays a red colour; otherwise at this pH the colourless hemiketal is the dominant form, bleaching the wine. Besides the contribution of free anthocyanins, a phenomenon called copigmentation influences the colour of young red wines. Copigmentation can be defined as a series of stabilization mechanisms involving van der Walls interactions that occur naturally in red wines and that can explain this unanticipated colour behaviour. Copigmentation is also pointed as the first interaction between anthocyanins and other wine components, leading to the formation of new coloured compounds during red wine ageing. Some of these pigments have already been identified and characterized but many are still undiscovered. The detection and structural characterization of new pigments and the knowledge of their chemical formation pathways are crucial to better understand the evolution of the colour of red wine during ageing. © 2017 Université de Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France).

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific