Influence of Carbonic Maceration on Acid Reduction and Quality of a Pennsylvania Dry Red Table Wine

Abstract

Carbonic maceration was compared with a more traditional method of producing red table wines and was found to produce wines with higher pH, less total acidity, malate, tartrate, and tannin, and a different sensory quality. The young wines produced by the special process were softer tasting and possessed a special "spicy" odor not present in the wines made with the traditional process. The wines produced by the special process were also more susceptible to induced malo-lactic fermentation.