Organic acids characterization: wines of Pinot noir and juices of ‘Bordeaux grape varieties’

Abstract

The main goal of this work is to evaluate the organic acids (acetic, citric, lactic, malic, tartaric and succinic) profile of fifteen Pinot noir wines from different vineyards by HPLC-DAD. In addition, this method was applied to characterize grape juices of ‘Bordeaux grape varieties’ grown in Napa Valley, California, USA and Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy. The method was validated on grape juices and wines. Organic acids concentrations in wines varied about 2-fold for tartaric, lactic, and acetic acids; 3-fold for malic and citric acids; and 4-fold for succinic acid. In grape juices, the concentrations varied approximately 3-fold for tartaric and citric acids and 8-fold for malic acid. Principal component analysis presented correlations with higher tartaric and malic acids in wines from Russian River Valley AVA and Sonoma Coast AVA regions, which are relatively close to each other. Cabernet sauvignon juices from different regions in the USA and Italy had similar correlations with citric, malic and tartaric acids concentrations. Organic acids profiles obtained in this work are consistent with the literature, thereby demonstrating the reliability of this single methodology for the characterization of a wide variety of grape juices and wines by sampling from different growing regions.