The influence of stems and oak chips on the fermentation and color stabilization during maturation of red wines produced by cv. Shesh i Zi

Abstract

In Albania, the autochthonous cv. ‘Shesh i Zi’ it is well known for red wine production. During the wine production, the main problem with this variety is the collapse of its color after alcoholic fermentation. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of oak chips and stems during alcoholic fermentation. In this study, were used 100 kg grapes of cv. ‘Shesh i Zi’ from Tirana area. For the production of wines were used three different vinification schemes (classic, oak chips and stems). The wines were analyzed by spectrophotometric methods such total tannins, total anthocyanins, color parameters. The obtained results were statistically analyzed with Statistix 9 software. Wines produced in the presence of stems and oak chips increase the formation of bonds between tannins and anthocyanins preserving the color of the wines.