Influence of Temperature during Pre-Fermentative Maceration and Alcoholic Fermentation on the Phenolic Composition of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ Wines

Abstract

This study presents the effects of different working temperatures on the transfer of compounds during the pre-fermentative and fermentative stages of the wine making process with ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grapes. Two different procedures have been evaluated. Firstly, the pre-fermentative maceration of the crushed grapes at two different temperatures (20 °C and 10 °C). Then, the alcoholic fermentation under two different sets of conditions, the fermentation at a constant temperature of 20 °C and the fermentation under a positive temperature gradient from 10 to 20 °C. According to the experimental results, the phenolic contents (total phenolics, total anthocyanins, and total tannins) were mainly conditioned by the fermentation temperature, however the pre-fermentative conditions also affected the content levels of these compounds. Furthermore, the use of a fermentation temperature gradient improved the organoleptic characteristics of the wines. However, the color was not as stable as that of wines produced through fermentation at a higher constant temperature. Consequently, the implementation of a temperature gradient during the alcoholic fermentation process is recommended and a longer period at high temperature over the last phase of the process would be desirable to obtain aromatic wines with the desirable color stability.