Influence of Prefermentative Cold Maceration on the Chemical and Sensory Properties of Red Wines Produced in Warm Climates

Red wines produced in warm climates generally possess a lower content of phenolic compounds and color structure than those produced in colder climates, which hinders bottle evolution. To improve these properties, cold maceration could be a useful procedure. To study the effect of this technique, Tempranillo, Merlot and Syrah grape varieties cultivated in the Jerez area (Southwest Spain) were cold macerated at 4 degrees C for ten days before alcoholic fermentation. Their composition and characteristics compared to the directly fermented control grapes were analyzed for phenolic content, color, volatile compounds, and sensory properties. It has been verified that phenolic content increased by around 10% during the treatment, which was maintained after the alcohol fermentation, along with an increase in color intensity and aromatic profile. This modification on the composition provided better scores for appearance, aroma intensity, and aroma quality in sensory analysis. The evolution of all studied parameters during 12 months of aging in the bottle is also studied, confirming the advantages of this technique in preserving the compositional and sensory characteristics throughout the period studied.