Red wines from different countries have been assessed in order to determine the influence of terroir and grape variety in their concentration of chloride. Chloride analysis was carried out by Laboratório de Bebidas de Origem Vegetal do Espírito Santo (Labeves), using the potentiometric method, in which the dosing is directly applied to the sample with an Ag/AgCl electrode. Data were collected to establish the level of chloride, as presented in the analysis reports issued by Labeves, and to serve as a wine categorization database, according to grape variety and country of origin. Australia and Argentina presented the highest levels of chloride and the wines made from the Syrah variety presented the highest concentration of such ion. We have, therefore, found that terroir and grape variety do have an influence over the concentration of chloride in red wines.Keywords: salinity; chloride; wine characterization.
Practical Application:The amount of chloride in wine is influenced by both the terroir and type of grape, and the importance of quantification lies in the fact that wine flavor is strongly impacted by this particular ion, which, in high concentration, gives the wine an undesirable salty taste and significantly decreases its market appeal. Quantification also helps determining wine origin and different grape varieties used in the wine, thus justifying the difference in wine regulations from country to country.