Effects of Carbonic Maceration on Chemical, Physical and Sensory Characteristics of Muscadine Wines

Abstract

ABSTRACTGrapes of four muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia Michaux) cultivars were subjected to carbonic maceration (CM) treatment during vinification. CM involved holding the intact grape berries anaerobically under an atmosphere of CO2 prior to crushing the grapes. Two different sets of conditions, 20 days at 16°C and 10 days at 24°C, were used for CM treatments. For comparison, standard wines were made from these cultivars by the usual vinification procedures. When compared to the standard wines, CM white wines had lower pH values, higher titratable acidity and phenols, lower alcohol, were yellower in color and were judged significantly lower in sensory quality. CM is not recommended for white wine production. Red CM wines, compared to the standard wines, had higher pH values, had a tendency towards higher volatile acidity, were generally lower in phenols, alcohol and color, and received similar sensory ratings. However, the red CM wines had a distinctively spicy bouquet and flavor which was not present in the standard wines.