Red wine maturation

The wines affected by ethylphenols are practically only red wines. All types are susceptible to the phenolic taint depending on the growth of D. bruxellensis. However, red wines matured in oak barriques are the typical wine product affected by... 

The organoleptical quality of botrytized sweet wines improves considerably after several months of barrels maturation and several years of bottle aging. The bouquet takes on finesse and complexity—reminiscent of confect fruit and toasted almonds. The wine becomes harmonious on the palate. The sweetness is perfectly balanced by the alcohol and a note of acidity gives a refreshing finish. The wines are not heavy and syrupy, in spite of their high sugar concentration. These transformations remain poorly understood even today. They occur in conditions, particularly oxidation-reduction conditions, reminiscent of red wine maturation and aging. 

Maturation is conducted in closed, full containers to prevent oxidation and aerobic growth of microorganisms. Etee air contact with low alcohol wine soon leads to vinegar. Except for those sherry types already mentioned, wines ate exposed to air minimally and temporarily. During transfers incident to bulk storage and processing, some air exposure is almost inevitable, mote in total the longer the wine is held. In the cases of white and pink table wines, it is ordinarily as neat zero as possible, and stainless steel or other impermeable containers, inert gas headspace, etc ate employed. Red wines withstand and even benefit from small but repeated exposures to air. 

The optimum temperature of fermentation of wine depends on the type, red wines working best at about 29°C while the white wines require a cooler condition of around 16°C. Heat is given off by the chemical process of fermentation. They are then traditionally matured and stored in caves or cellars at about 10°C. Much of the manufacture... 

A red wine was obtained from Carignan noir grapes Vitis vinifera) harvested in 1991 at the INRA-Pech Rouge Experimental Station. Mature grapes were stemmed and crushed before fermentation (7 days at 28 °C) in presence of total grape berry cell wall material. The insoluble material was finally eliminated by pressing, 5 g/hL SO2 was added and the obtained red wine stored at 12°C. 

Microoxygenation (MOX) is now widely applied for the maturation of red wines as an alternative to barrel aging. The proposed improvements in wine quality arising from MOX include color stabilization, removal of unwanted off-odors, and improvements... 

Alcalde-Eon, C., Escribano-Bailon, M. T., Santos-Buelga, C., and Rivas-Gonzalo, J. C. (2006). Changes in the detailed pigment composition of red wine during maturity and ageing. Anal. Chim. Acta 563, 238-254. 

Cano-Lopez, M., Pardo-Minguez, F., Lopez-Roca, J. M., and Gomez-Plaza, E. (2007). Chromatic characteristics and anthocyanin profile of a micro-oxygenated red wine after oak or bottle maturation. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 225,127-132. 

Tyramine acts as an indirect sympathomimetic to cause release of catecholamines from nerve terminals. It is present in a number of foods mature cheese, yeast extracts, some red wines, hung game, pickled herrings, broad bean pods. Normally, MAO-A in the intestinal mucosa will metabolise tyramine absorbed from the gut. In patients on the older MAOls, considerable amounts of tyramine will enter the circulation and this will lead to increased release of catecholamines stored in nerve terminals because the MAOI prevents their metabolism. For patients on RIMA drugs, high concentrations of tyramine can compete for MAO-A, thus mitigating some of the effects, and MAO-B is still available to metabolise noradrenaline (norepinephrine). MAO-B, however, has relatively much less effect on 5-HT and thus 5-HT function is still enhanced. 

Dallas, C., Ricardo-Da Silva, J. M., and Laureano, O. (1995). Degradation of oligomeric procyanidins and anthocyanins in a Tinta Roriz red wine during maturation. Vitis 34, 51-56. 

At present, extensive research has been conducted on the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of wines. Similar studies on vermouth should be conducted in-depth. Generally, red wine is considered better than white with respect to antioxidant effect. How red versus white vermouths compare in these regards needs to be determined. Though vermouth is a traditional commercial product, the relationship of its flavor attributes to its chemical constituents and is lacking. It could be a fertile field for future studies. In addition, few studies have been conducted on its maturation and the changes that occur during aging. The use of noncaloric sweeteners is another topic worthy of evaluation relative to its acceptability by diabetics. 

Traditionally, maturation of red wines generally occurs in barrels or other wooden containers of various volumes. The wood provides special conditions for maturation that are favorable to the development of the wines character (Del Alamo Sanza et al., 2004 Perez-Coello and Diaz-Maroto, 2009). These usually include limited oxidation. Wood porosity together with filling and refilling operations ensure both a slow continuous and periodic incorporation of oxygen into the wine. The oxygen favors... 

When to harvest grapes may be one of the most quality-oriented decisions a winemaker has to make. To obtain the full flavor, body, and color, the grape must be mature when harvested. Both immature and overripe fruit produce inferior red wines. 

The development of maturity and complexity of the wine is a relatively slow process. While we occasionally observe significant increases in these characteristics in as little as three months, it is more common to find increases in maturity and complexity over time spans measured in years. Some of the white wines of the Northwest are allowed to mature in the bottle for up to one year prior to release for sale. These wines are usually either sweet or are truly dry white wines. Typical examples would be botrytized or late harvest White Rieslings and Chardonnays. The red wines of the Northwest generally are aged in the bottle for one year or more prior to release. A notable exception in recent years has been wines of the V. vinifera cultivar Merlot, offered by several wineries in Washington with six months or less bottle age. 

Most wineries store their wine in a standard warehouse type of building. One major winery stores its white wines in an insulated, temperature controlled (both heated and cooled) warehouse to maintain conditions as close to 55° F (12.78° C) year round as is possible. This same facility stores its red wine in a standard warehouse type of building to allow some temperature change throughout the year. It is felt that this small amount of temperature change will allow the wine to mature somewhat more quickly in the bottle. 

Escalona, E., Birkmyre, L., Piggot, J. R., Paterson, A. (2002). Effect of maturation in small oak casks on the volatility of red wine aroma compounds. Anal. Chim. Acta, 458, 45-54. 

Asenstorfer, R. E., Markides, A. J., Hand, P. G., Jones, G. P. (2003) Formation of vitisin A during red wine fermentation and maturation. Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research, 9, 40-46. 

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