Macrowine 2021
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Impact of acidification by fumaric acid at vatting on Cabernet-Sauvignon wine during winemaking

Impact of acidification by fumaric acid at vatting on Cabernet-Sauvignon wine during winemaking

Abstract

AIM. Acidity of grape berries is lowered due to climate changes (1), resulting in musts and wines with higher pHs. These higher pHs induce microbiological instability and chemical modifications with damageable consequences on the color and the organoleptic qualities of the wines (2). To acidify musts, OIV authorizes different approaches such as the use of cation exchangers, treatment by electromembrane, microbiological acidification and chemical acidification. Chemical acidification, the most common, refers to the addition of lactic, malic and tartaric acids. Fumaric acid, known for its high acidifying power, its antimicrobial properties (3,4) but also its high availability, could be a good alternative to acidify musts chemically. Therefore, the present study aims at evaluating the impact of fumaric acid addition at vatting on wine quality in comparison with tartaric acid addition.

METHODS. Micro-winemakings were conducted with mature Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Two treatments were applied at vatting in duplicate: 1.5g/L tartaric acid (TA) and 1.5g/L TA eq. fumaric acid. Three vats were untreated (controls). Oenological (pH, total acidity, tartaric, malic and lactic acids) and color (CIELAB) parameters, phenolic compounds (total polyphenol index, Folin-Ciocalteu, total free anthocyanins and total tannins) and antioxidant capacities (DPPH, CUPRAC, ORAC) were evaluated at vatting, end of alcoholic fermentation (AF) and malolactic fermentation (MLF). A ranking test and sensory profiles were realized on three-months wines after bottling.

RESULTS. Acid addition at vatting induced an immediate decrease of pH, an increase of total acidity and a change of color but at the end of MLF these changes were attenuated and even disappeared. Total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacities in post-MLF wines were not or slightly affected by acidification. The major difference was observed for malolactic acid production during MLF. Indeed, wines treated with fumaric acid produced 20% more lactic acid than control and TA-acidified wines. 

CONCLUSIONS

Addition of FA at 1.5g/L tartaric acid eq. during vatting induced a 20% increased production of lactic acid in wine which did not allow a pH decrease or an increase of total acidity in resulting wine compared to control wine. To acidify wines, acid fumaric should be added at another step of winemaking. A current study is investigating FA addition at the end of AF and just before bottling.

DOI:

Publication date: September 14, 2021

Issue: Macrowine 2021

Type: Article

Authors

Anne-Laure Gancel

Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRA, ISVV, Université de Bordeaux, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France,Claire PAYAN, Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRA, ISVV, Université de Bordeaux, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France and Hochschule Geisenheim University von Lade Straße, 65366 Geisenheim, Germany  Monika CHRISTMANN, Hochschule Geisenheim University von Lade Straße, 65366 Geisenheim, Germany  Pierre-Louis TEISSEDRE, Unité de recherche Œnologie, EA 4577, USC 1366 INRA, ISVV, Université de Bordeaux, F33882 Villenave d’Ornon, France

Contact the author

Keywords

chemical acidification, fumaric acid, color, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, sensory analysis

Citation

Related articles…

Market analysis of Chilean Pinot noir, Carménère, and Cabernet-Sauvignon wines: A comparative study of chemical parameters across low, medium, and high price segments

Wine quality is a complex concept determined by multiple factors, including vineyard management, winemaking operations, and the sensory perception of key attributes.

Monitoring water deficit in vineyards by means of Red and Infrared measurements

Vineyard water availability is one of the most important variables both in plant’s production and wine quality, once it regulates several processes, among which the stomata activity. To avoid water deficit, wine producers introduced artificial irrigation in their vineyard, using a semi-empirical process to calculate water amount.

Effect of non-Saccharomyces yeast and lactic acid bacteria on selected sensory attributes and polyphenols of Syrah wines

Consumers predominantly use visual, aromatic and texture cues as quality/preference indicators to describe olfactory sensations. In this study, the effect of micro-organism in wine production was investigated using analytical and sensory techniques to achieve relevant analytical characterisation. Selected anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and phenolic acids were quantified in Syrah wines using RP-HPLC-DAD. Standard oenological parameters were also measured. Syrah grape must was fermented with various combinations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) and non-Saccharomyces (Metschnikowia pulcherrima or Hanseniaspora uvarum) yeasts, which was followed by sequential inoculation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) (Oenococcus oeni or Lactobacillus plantarum).

Autochthonous yeasts: a microbiological tool to exalt the quality of the apulian sparkling wine

The selection, characterization, and recruitment of autochthonous yeast strains to drive the alcoholic fermentation process is a highly researched practice because it allows the differentiation of the organoleptic properties of wines, assuring process standardization, reducing fermentation times and improving the quality and safety of the final products [1, 2]. Sparkling wines are “special wines” obtained by secondary fermentation of the base wine. ​In the traditional method (Champenoise method), the re-fermentation takes place in the bottle after the addition to the base wine of the so-called tirage solution. This step, also known as prise de mousse, is followed by an aging period characterized by the release of compounds from the yeast cells that affect the organoleptic properties of the final product. The use of autochthonous yeasts as starter cultures for secondary fermentation is one of the recent innovations proposed to enhance and differentiate these wines’ sensory quality [3,4]. Apulia is the second Italian wine-producing region, and its productive chain is now going through a qualitative evolution by implementing the employment of innovative approaches to exalt the peculiar properties of regional wines.

The chemical composition of disease resistant hybrid grape cultivars and its impact on wine quality: an exploratory enquiry into sustainable wines

Disease resistant hybrid grape cultivars are now allowed in a number of EU wine PDOs, and are also accepted in a number of countries outside the EU. There is increasing interest in diseases resistant hybrid grape cultivars (RHGCs) because they allow for the production of healthy, high quality grapes with limited use of pesticides and the associated environmental and public health