Cabernet sauvignon red wine astringency quality control by tannin characterization and polymerization during storage
Abstract
Cabernet Sauvignon wine grape variety is an emblematic cultivar of Bordeaux winegrowing region. Twenty-three vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from chateau Mouton Rothschild were studied using chemical and sensory analysis. Total phenolic compounds, total anthocyanins, total tannins, hue, CI (colour intensity), titratable acidity, ethanol level and pH were evaluated. Percentage of galloylation (%G), of prodelphinidins (%P) as well as mean degree of polymerization (mDP) were also determined. Sensory analysis concerning astringency intensity using a 0-7 point scale was performed in parallel. Correlations between bottle wine ageing and mDP and astringency were obtained. Increasing age gave lower scores in astringency intensity (R-2 = 0.598, p = 0.000) and inferior mDP values (R-2 = 0.851, p = 0.000). In addition, we evidenced that mDP is an analytical parameter for estimating astringency (R-2 = 0.556, p = 0.000) in red CS (Cabernet Sauvignon) wine from Pauillac denomination.