Syrah Wines Research Articles

Effects of different low-temperature maceration times on the chemical and sensory characteristics of Syrah wine

This study aimed to investigate the effects of three different cold maceration times on the color, volatiles, and sensory of Syrah wine. The results showed that the physicochemical parameters were not influenced by maceration time. Extending the maceration time significantly increased the color intensity and decreased the hue of the wines. The content of monomeric anthocyanins and monomeric phenols increased gradually with the prolongation of immersion time, however, there was no significant difference between 72 and 120 h. Malvidin-3-O-glucoside was the most abundant monomer in anthocyanins, accounting for 67 % of the total content. Moreover, the highest flavanol content (95.42 ± 0.66 mg/L) was found in 120-h sample. The aroma contents of wines macerated for 72 and 120 h were significantly higher than that of 24 h (p < 0.05). Sensory evaluations showed that extended maceration enhanced the color intensity and floral-fruity aromas of the Syrah wines, while increasing astringency.

Effect of the addition of protein hydrolysates from grape seed meal residue to red wines in warm regions in the stabilization stage

The effect of adding protein hydrolysates from defatted grape seed meals, a residue of the grape pomace industry, on the improvement of color stabilization of Syrah wines in warm climates was evaluated. Factors such as the type of raw material, the hydrolysis time, and the doses of protein hydrolysate were assessed. Hydrolysates were added to the wines at the stabilization stage and scrutinized over five months focusing on the polyphenolic composition, copigmentation and polymerization, as well as color by differential tristimulus colorimetry. The addition of 3 g/L protein hydrolysates from 1-h hydrolysis depicted a color stabilization effect, leading to higher values of chroma (C*ab), phenolic compounds (benzoic acids and flavan-3-ols), and copigmentation, although assuming a slightly more aged-related tonality. These data obtained provide an interesting insight, not reported so far, on the use of this oenological alternative to avoid common color losses of red wines elaborated in warm climate.

Bunch thinning and its influence on the shoots growth dynamics in some syrah wine variety clones

During the period 2020-2022, an experiment was conducted in the experimental vineyard of the Agricultural University – Plovdiv, and four clones of the wine variety Syrah, numbered 100, 174, 470 and 524, grafted on the SO4 rootstock were selected as the study object. During the „pea size“ phase, the green pruning operation – bunch thinning was applied. The shoots growth starts from the vegetation phase „first leaf appearance“ and ends at the „veraison“. The average duration is about 100 days, covering the period of May, June and July. It was found that the vine shoots from a clone 470 reached the greatest average length, V3 – 285, 265, 290 cm and V7 – 359, 336, and 380 cm, and those from a clone 100 were distinguished by the weakest growth, V1 – 197, 203 and 205 cm and V5 – 240, 228 and 245 cm. Differences were proven between the variants, both in the non-reduced (V1, V2, V3, and V4) and in those with reduced yields (V5, V6, V7, and V8), as after reducing the number of bunches, the length of the shoots was longer – high in all vines from the used Syrah clones. This study provides information on the relationship between the applied green pruning operation (bunch thinning) during the growing season and its effects on the vegetative growth. Balancing the vines bud load by controlling yield during the growing season is a preferred viticultural practice for increasing the grape quality. Keywords: Clones, Syrah, green pruning, bunch thinning, shoot growth

Effect of the grape thinning on the content of trans-resveratrol in some Syrah clones

Wine is a product obtained through fermentation process, the trans-resveratrol is a polyphenol derived from grapes and a natural antioxidant that passes into wine. The trans-resveratrol is a rare compound with the highest content in the red wine and a positive physiological effect on human organism. The present study was conducted in three years period from 2020 until 2022 at the Agricultural university-Plovdiv experimental vineyard, located near the village of Brestnik. Four Syrah wine variety clones were included and eight experimental wines have been made during the experimental period. In all tested wines, the presence of trans-resveratrol was detected but its amount was higher in clone 524 (V4) with non-reduced yield (3.35, 4.36, 7.02 mg/L), and in clone 100 (V5) with reduced yield (5.24, 3.75, 7.23 mg/L). Reducing the bunch numbers at the “pea size” stage did not significantly influence the content of trans-resveratrol. The wine antioxidant properties were directly affected by the clone and the grape harvest and was under the terroir influence. In today's conditions of overproduction and increased competition, the results of this study provide a valuable economic information and expand the portfolio of wineries. Keywords: clones, Syrah, red wine, resveratrol, bunch thinning, canopy management

Sur lies élevage practice to modulate the features of red wines from calcareous soils with different textures.

In Sicilian calcareous soils, red wines often display unripeness and bitterness features. To enhance wine quality, we employed the 'sur lies élevage' technique, involving prolonged contact of dead yeast cells with the wine to favor the extraction of yeast cellular components through cell lysis. The 7 month treatment utilized two types of Chardonnay lies: fresh and previously matured. To overcome challenges in retrieving lies from red winemaking, we have recovered the lies from a white winemaking. Additionally, the lies underwent a preliminary passage on a red wine to minimize color adsorption on yeast cell walls. The sur lies treatment effectively reduced astringency, bitterness, and brown pigment in wines, with partial removal of red color. It successfully eliminated quercetin aglycone and induced remarkable changes in the aromatic profile, showing increased ethyl esters and relative fatty acids. Sensory evaluations revealed sur lies-treated wines had fruitier and more complex characteristics compared to untreated wines. Matured lies had a greater impact on enhancing fruitiness than fresh lies. The treatments mitigated the unripeness and bitterness of studied wines. Sur lies treatment improved the aromatic profile, leading to fruitier and more complex notes, enhancing overall sensory quality. Matured lies showed greater efficacy in elevating fruitiness than fresh lies. These findings highlight the value of the sur lies technique in enhancing the quality and sensory attributes of Nero d'Avola and Syrah wines from Sicilian calcareous soils. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative phenolic, chromatic, and sensory composition of five monovarietal wines processed with microwave technology

The effect of MW technology (1,200 Watts for 10 min) on the chemical and sensory composition of five monovarietal wines with different phenolic composition was studied relative to untreated Control wines. MW improved polymeric pigment content by 30, 22 and 31% in Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Syrah wines, respectively, and anthocyanin extraction and non-tannin phenolics by 24% in Malbec and Syrah wines, respectively. In Nebbiolo and Pinot noir, MW had no effect on phenolics or chromatic characteristics. Anthocyanins in Nebbiolo wines were the lowest and their pigment profile was composed of 18% pyranoanthocyanins, but tannins were the highest, resulting in a tannin to anthocyanin ratio of 16. Pinot noir and Nebbiolo wines had comparable polymeric pigment content, despite dissimilar tannin to anthocyanin ratios, suggesting different mouthfeel characteristics in their respective wines. Conversely, wines of comparable tannin to anthocyanin produced wines of vastly different polymeric pigment content. MW-treated Cabernet Sauvignon wines showed an improved sensory profile.

Effect of Encapsulation Processes by Freeze and Spray Drying on the Antioxidant Properties of Red Wine from cv. Listan Prieto and Syrah

Wine antioxidants are linked to cardiovascular disease prevention, thus are highly valued by the healthy food market. The dehydration process removes alcohol and water from wine and allows it to extend its shelf life, while encapsulation can help preserve physical-chemical and antioxidant properties. Moreover, information on the effect of wine drying and encapsulation on non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds is limited in the literature. Listan Prieto and Syrah (Vitis vinifera L.) wines were dehydrated and converted into powder by freezing and spray drying. Powdered wines were subjected to water activity, pH, soluble solids, color, and phenolic compounds analysis. Freeze-drying process produced powdered wines with higher pH than the spray-drying process. Powdered wines made by these processes presented similar water activity and soluble solids. Powdered wines did not show statistical differences in trans-resveratrol, hydrocinnamic acids, phloretin, kaempferol, and quercetin content according to their dehydration process. In addition, powdered wines significantly concentrated hydrocinnamic acid and quercetin when compared to non-dealcoholized and dealcoholized wine samples. The results suggest that the dehydration process does not negatively modify the characteristics of the wine, and it retains a significant concentration of phenolic compounds. Therefore, powdered wines have an interesting potential to be used as a natural source of antioxidants for food supplementation.

Exploring the response to a new range of ethanol reductions in Chardonnay and Syrah wines using a Consumer Rejection Threshold approach

Ethanol is one of the major components of wine, which has a substantial impact on its sensory characteristics. However, data concerning consumer response to ethanol or changes in ethanol remains limited. The aim of this study was to determine the threshold ethanol concentrations beyond which ethanol lowering becomes undesirable in Chardonnay and Syrah wines using the consumer rejection threshold (CRT) methodology. Base wines from these two cultivars were first dearomatised and fully dealcoholised using spinning cone column technology. Then, control wines with a similar ethanol content to the base wines (13.8 and 13.5 % v/v for Chardonnay and Syrah respectively) and wines with lower ethanol contents were reconstituted by mixing the final beverage, the aroma fraction, food grade ethanol and distilled water. CRT values were determined as 2.8 % v/v for Chardonnay and at 7.0 % v/v for Syrah. These particularly low and unexpected concentrations indicate that consumer sensory liking might not be necessarily driven by ethanol concentration, especially for white wines. However, the post-evaluation questionnaire showed that consumers were expecting a high minimal ethanol content for quality wines (10.9 % v/v ± 1.2 and 11.7 % v/v ± 1.5 for white and red wines respectively) and had a limited experience with low and dealcoholised wines. Overall, our data, which are still preliminary and deserve to be validated using different base wines with a larger number of consumers, show that consumers would not necessarily be refractory from a sensory standpoint to the consumption of low ethanol beverages made from wine. Our findings strongly encourage professionals from the wine industry and public authorities to raise awareness about the increase in quality of such products and their benefits for human health.

The effect of ultrasound on Syrah wine composition as affected by the ripening or sanitary status of the grapes

Several studies have demonstrated that the application of ultrasounds to crushed grapes improves the chromatic and sensory characteristics of the resulting wines by facilitating the extractability of compounds from grapes to the must-wine. The objective of this work was to determine whether the application of ultrasounds to grapes of different maturity levels or different sanitary status leads to the same positive outcome as regards chromatic characteristics, phenolic and aroma compounds as well as sensory properties. The results showed that, independent of grape ripening or sanitary status, the application of ultrasounds to Syrah crushed grapes leads to wines with better chromatic characteristics at the moment of bottling, increasing colour intensity, total phenol content and tannin concentration up to 12%, 18% and 43%, respectively, in the wines from less ripen grapes and 13%, 23% and 30% in the wine from partially rotten grapes. The concentration of volatile compounds was less affected by sonication than the chromatic characteristics, with small decreases in the main families of volatile compounds, although the sensory analysis showed clear differences between control wines and those made from sonicated grapes, which were generally preferred and score higher for most of the sensory parameters evaluated.

Grape Pulp Fiber as Possible Fining Agents for Red Wine.

One of the biggest problems with the use of traditional fining agents is that some of them present allergenic characteristics or are not suitable for vegan consumers due to their animal origin. An alternative to these traditional proteinaceous agents could be cell walls from grape pulp. This material could be used to modify the final phenolic concentration of a wine due to its affinity for phenolic compounds. In this study, the ability of freeze-dried grape pulp fiber, rich in pulp cell walls, to act as a fining agent was analyzed in wines from three different varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Monastrell. After the use of this material, the wine chromatic characteristics and total tannin concentration were analyzed by spectrophotometric and chromatographic techniques. In addition, the wines were contaminated with ochratoxin A and histamine to check whether this material could also be a tool for removing these wine contaminants. The pulp fiber presented a high capacity to retain phenolic compounds, especially tannins; however, there were differences depending on the studied wine. The largest reduction in tannin concentration after fining was observed when this material was used in Cabernet Sauvignon wines (23%), whereas for Monastrell wines the reduction was lower (18.3%) and even lower for Syrah wines (14.3%). This fining agent also reduced the anthocyanin concentration of the three red wines, although to a lesser extent than the reduction observed for tannins. A really interesting result was that the addition of this fining agent reduced the concentration of ochratoxin A by 50% in all the studied wines.

Grapevine row orientation, vintage and grape ripeness effect on anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and phenolic acids: I. &lt;i&gt;Vitis vinifera&lt;/i&gt; L. cv. Syrah grapes

Phenolic concentrations are affected by environmental factors and grape cultivar, as well as viticultural practices, which should be considered when a specific phenolic profile is intended. The effect of microclimate induced by row orientation on phenolic compounds of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Syrah/101-14 Mgt grapes was investigated. Grapes were harvested from four vintages at 22 °Brix, 24 °Brix and 26 °Brix from N-S, E-W, NE-SW and NW-SE orientated grapevine rows. Phenolics were quantified in freeze-dried grape skins using an HPLC method. A vintage effect was only evident for specific individual phenolics for the four vintages. Grapes from NE-SW rows at 22 °Brix had the highest total flavonols and anthocyanins. Catechin was highest in grapes from N-S rows at 24 °Brix, whereas total phenolic acids, caffeic acid and total flavonols were highest from NW-SE rows at 24 °Brix and 26 °Brix. Isoquercetin was highest from NE-SW rows at 22 °Brix and 26 °Brix, whereas kaempferol and quercitrin were highest from E-W rows at 24 °Brix. The majority of phenolics was highest from NW-SE rows at 24 °Brix and 26 °Brix. The results indicate that row orientation affects phenolic development in Syrah grapes, but that vintage has a limited effect on phenolics. Light induced in the fruit zone positively affected the grape phenolic development of NE-SW rows at 22 °Brix and that of NW-SE rows at 24 °Brix and 26 °Brix. However, it is unlikely that a single index can be applied to all growing conditions and grape cultivars. Rows that allow moderate radiation intensity in the canopy (i.e., NE-SW and NW-SE during the day) seem more favourable for the development of phenolics than N-S and E-W rows. The light and berry temperature conditions in the fruit zone resulting from row orientation have the potential for widening the range of Syrah wine styles. In practice, a desirable row orientation may not be applicable to all environments. Management of the fruit zone remains an option for increasing or decreasing grape light exposure, irrespective of row orientation.

Study of the oxidative evolution of tannins during Syrah red wines ageing by tandem mass spectrometry

Red wine is a very complex medium in which condensed tannins undergo many modifications during winemaking and bottle ageing. These reactions have an impact on the organoleptic properties. This work aimed to highlight tannins evolution related to wine evolution by studying three vintages of Syrah wines. An accelerated oxidation was also undertaken in order to evaluate the ability of this oxidation to imitate natural evolution. After chemical depolymerization of the tannins, the monitoring of 6 types of markers at two oxidation levels was investigated. An evolution of the tannin oxidation state during ageing evidenced by the increase of the markers of the second oxidation level was observed. In the 2018 oxidized wine sample, the first oxidation level markers were similar to the 2014 vintage but the second oxidation level markers were higher than other vintages, indicating a more advanced state of tannin oxidation.

UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap /MS2 identification of (+)-Catechin oxidation reaction dimeric products in red wines and grape seed extracts

B-type procyanidin dimers and (+)-catechin dimeric oxidation products were analyzed in grape seed extracts and red wines (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS). The different dimers had different fragmentation patterns according to their interflavan linkage position. Oxidation dimeric compounds had a specific fragment ion at m/z 393, missing for B-Type dimers fragmentations. A fragment ion at m/z 291 occurred and was specific for oxidation dimeric compounds with a COC linkage. Higher level oxidation products had abundant specific fragments: m/z 425, 397 and 245. These fragmentations were useful to identify them in complex samples such as grape seed extracts and wines. Three grape varieties and three ripening stages were selected and the corresponding seed extracts were obtained. The analyses revealed an increasing trend for the oxidation markers during grape ripening. The analysis of Syrah wines (2018, 2014, 2010) showed a decreasing trend of these molecules during wine ageing which might be due to further oxidation.

Multi-Year Study of the Chemical and Sensory Effects of Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Musts and Stems in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah Wines from the Central Coast of California.

Microwave technology (MW) was applied to musts and stems over three consecutive vintages in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah wines from California (USA). Stems were added to musts at a rate of 50 and 100% (50% Stems and 100% Stems), either as untreated or after MW (50% MW Stems and 100% MW Stems). Stem additions lowered ethanol (up to 1.15% v/v reduction), but increased pH (up to 0.16 units) and the tannin content of the wines. In 2016, tannins increased by 103% (100% Stems), and 124% (100% MW Stems). In 2017, tannins increased by 39% in stem-added Merlot wines and by 63% (100% Stems) and 85% (100% MW Stems) in Syrah wines. In 2018, tannins in Syrah wines increased by 250% (100% MW Stems) and by 743% (100% Stems). Wines made with 50% Stems exhibited intermediate tannin contents. Must MW increased flavonols (up to 278% in Syrah wines), monoglucosylated, acylated and anthocyanin-derived pigments. Stem additions reduced wine color and polymeric pigment formation in Syrah. Must MW decreased the perception of coarseness and herbaceous flavors in Merlot, whereas stem additions increased herbaceous aromas in Syrah. Despite higher tannin contents in stem-added wines, no concomitant increases in astringency were observed.

Preliminary studies of bioactive compounds and color in Mexican read wines from Baja California region.

The total phenolic compounds, total anthocyanin content and antioxidant properties of ten commercially wines based on different grape cultivar from Baja California, Mexico were analyzed. The results showed that the content of phenolic compounds of Vitis vinifera cv. Petit Verdot and Petit Syrah wines had the most highest values of total phenolic content (1188.26 and 1148.13 mg GAE/L, respectively), with respect the another wines. However, wines elaborated with three different cultivars (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot/Merlot), and wine from cultivar Petit Verdot presented the highest total flavonoids content (161.06 mg QE/L and 182.64 mg QE/L, respectively) and total anthocyanin content (286.38 mg ME/L and 2548.56 mg ME/L, respectively). In contrast only wine from three grape cultivars (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot/Merlot), and wine from cultivar Gamay, exhibits the highest antioxidant activity among tested wines. Finally, these results suggest that wine elaborated with different cultivars (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot/Merlot), is more beneficial to health than others red wines in terms of its higher antioxidant activity, total anthocyanin content and total flavonoid content

Discriminability and uncertainty in principal component analysis (PCA) of temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) data

Temporal check-all-that-apply (TCATA) data can be summarized and explored using principal component analysis (PCA). Here we analyze TCATA data on Syrah wines obtained from a trained sensory panel. We evaluate new and existing methods to explore the uncertainty in the PCA scores. To do so, we use the bootstrap procedure to obtain many virtual panels from the real panel’s data. Virtual-panel PCA scores are obtained using two methods. The first method, called the partial bootstrap (PB), obtains virtual-panel scores from regression. The second method, called the truncated total bootstrap (TTB), applies PCA to the virtual-panel results to obtain scores, which are truncated and superimposed on the real-panel scores by Procrustes rotation. We use the virtual scores from each method to investigate uncertainty in the real-panel PCA scores visually and numerically. To understand the uncertainty of the scores, we obtain confidence ellipses (CEs) and their areas, as well as confidence intervals (CIs) and their widths. Next, to determine whether PCA scores for different samples are well separated, we propose a procedure for approximating the standard errors of sample differences and correcting for multiple comparisons. We propose a discriminability index, and show that it can enhance the interpretability of PCA results. We incorporate graphical features into our PCA biplots to visualize discriminability. We did not find a large difference between the PB and TTB methods for understanding the uncertainty and discriminability in PCA scores. Although the TCATA data that we analyzed have a special structure, the methodological approaches presented here can be readily adapted to other applications of PCA.

Impact of a double post-fermentative maceration with ripe and overripe seeds on the phenolic composition and color stability of Syrah red wines from warm climate

The post-fermentative double addition of Pedro Ximénez cv seeds obtained from natural matured grapes (ripe seeds, RS) and postharvest sun-dried grapes (overripe seeds, OS) were studied as sustainable enological alternatives to conventional vinification (CW) to improve the stability of Syrah wines produced in a warm climate. The phenolic composition was assessed by rapid resolution liquid chromatography, copigmentation/polymerization processes by spectrophotometry, and color quality and stability by Differential Colorimetry. OSW and RSW wines enriched their total phenolic content, being the effect more pronounced with overripe seeds (by 23% versus 10%). OSW differences were found for gallic acid, monomeric flavan-3-ols, and procyanidins compared to CW, and for (+)-catechin, procyanidin B2-3-O-gallate and the tetramer to RSW. Phenolic changes were related to higher color intensity in seed-added wines. OSW having higher percentage of polymeric pigments maintained for longer time the chromatic improvement, being visually darker and more intense than final CW and RSW.

Sensory Evaluation of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon Wines: Effects of Harvest Maturity and Prefermentation Soluble Solids

Adjusting the soluble solids of the prefermentation must is a tool by which winemakers can manipulate the flavor profile of a wine. Brix, a measure of soluble solids, is often modified prior to fermentation by chaptalization or the addition of water, but also can be modified in the vineyard by allowing the fruit to further mature on the vine. This work presents the effects of harvest maturity and prefermentation Brix on the flavor profile of Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) and Syrah (SY) wines. Fruit from each cultivar were harvested at three approximate maturity targets: 20 Brix – unripe, 24 Brix – ripe, and 28 Brix – overripe. Must from each harvest was first divided, and then the Brix was adjusted to match each of the target maturities, e.g. portions of the 24 Brix harvest were adjusted to 20 and 28 Brix. Descriptive analysis found 10 attributes which significantly varied among the CS wines and 14 attributes which significantly varied among the SY wines. Harvest maturity primarily impacted the CS aroma profile, as wines produced from unripe fruit showed increased green aroma, but wines produced from ripe/overripe fruit showed increased jammy berries aroma. Increasing the prefermentation Brix of the CS must increased the intensity of bitterness, hotness, and viscosity, but decreased the sourness. The SY wine flavor profile was heavily impacted by increasing the prefermentation Brix, which showed higher intensities of astringency, ethanol aroma, hot mouthfeel, jammy fruit aroma, rose aroma, solvent aroma, ethanol aroma, and viscous mouthfeel. The SY Fruit maturity showed a significant on the astringent intensity and earthy aroma, but an interactive effect between harvest maturity and Brix was found for sulfur, cabbage aroma, and bitterness.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON EFFECTS OF REFLECTIVE MULCH AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO SOME OTHER PREHARVEST APPLICATIONS TO IMPROVE PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS PROFILE AND ANTHOCYANIN ACCUMULATION OF CV. SYRAH WINE GRAPE (V. vinifera L.)

In today’s modern viticulture, reflective mulches and summer pruning practices are remarkable tools thatmay facilitate grape growers to increase yield and improve the grape quality. This study aimed to assess howreflective mulch application (RM) affects components of phenolic compounds and anthocyanin of cv. Syrahthe compared to other preharvest applications such as basal leaf removal application (BLR), foliar prolineapplication (PRO) and their various combinations, including applications of basal leaf removal + proline(BLR+PRO), basal leaf removal + reflective mulch (BLR+RM), proline + reflective mulch (PRO+RM) andbasal leaf removal + proline + reflective mulch (BLR+PRO+RM). The study findings demonstrated that reflectivemulch application (RM) may considerably enhance light distribution in the canopy of grapevine byincreasing reflected light from the ground. In the current study, it was observed that combined applicationshad significant roles on improving yield and quality characteristics. In terms of total phenolic compoundscontent, the highest values were obtained from applications of BLR+RM and PRO+RM. Moreover, all applicationshad a rise to crucial increases in total anthocyanin content of cv. Syrah wine grape when the comparedwith C application.

Survival and metabolism of hydroxycinnamic acids by Dekkera bruxellensis in monovarietal wines

Volatile phenols in wines are responsible for unpleasant aromas, which negatively affect the quality of the wine. These compounds are produced from the metabolism of hydroxycinnamic acids, mainly by the yeasts Brettanomyces/Dekkera. Relevant data, potentially useful to support decisions on how to manage the risk of contamination of wines by Brettanomyces/Dekkera, according to the grape varieties used in the vinification, is important to the wine industry. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the survival and the metabolism of hydroxycinnamic acids by Dekkera bruxellensis in monovarietal wines. Yeast growth and survival were monitored in fifteen wines, five from each of the grape varieties Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, inoculated with a strain of D. bruxellensis. Yeast culturable populations of 107 CFU mL−1 were reduced to undetectable numbers in 24 h in all wines. Plate counts of 104–106 CFU mL−1 were, however, detected after 48 h in most of Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon wines and later in Syrah. Viability measurement by flow cytometry showed that a significant part of the populations was in a viable but non-culturable state (VBNC). The time required for the recovery of the culturable state was dependent on the wine, being longer on Syrah wines. Besides the production of ethylphenols, the metabolism of hydroxycinnamic acids by VBNC cells led to the accumulation of vinylphenols at relatively high levels, independently of the grape variety. The flow cytometry methodology showed a higher survival capacity of D. bruxellensis in Touriga Nacional wines, which corroborates with the higher amounts of volatile phenols found on this variety.