The Evolution of Phenolic Compounds in Vitis vinifera L. Red Berries during Ripening: Analysis and Role on Wine Sensory—A Review

Abstract

The study of phenolic maturity in Vitis vinifera L. requires a multidisciplinary approach to understand how the evolution of berry flavonoids and cell wall material influence the colour and the textures of red wine. This is a challenging issue which involves researchers of viticulture and enology, and the results of their work are of particular interest for the producers of high-quality red wines. This review reports the current knowledge regarding phenolic maturity, describing the sensorial traits of the different compounds, the evolution of berry flavonoids and the methodologies used to evaluate their characteristics. Finally, the role of cell wall material in influencing the extractability of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins was shown. By means of a critical review of the results, it can be hypothesised that prolonged ripening improved colour characteristics and mouthfeel properties, thanks to the higher amounts of extractable skin flavonoids associated with lower amounts of seed proanthocyanidins, and to the increased affinity of the cell wall material for the proanthocyanidins most involved in the perception of unpleasant astringency.

Phenotypic variation of fruit and ecophysiological traits among maqui (Aristotelia chilensis [Molina] Stuntz) provenances established in a common garden

“…However, a clinal pattern was unclear, as the southernmost provenance Enlagos ripened fast even compared with the northernmost provenances, while the two clones from the mid-range of the distribution (e.g., provenance Mulchen) consistently had a delay in the ripening. Berry ripening is a complex process affected by soil resources, meso and micro-climate, and genetics 55 . It has been shown in other fruit tree species that only part of the genes influencing fruit maturation is affected by the environment and explains the varying responses of genotypes to specific environments 56 .…”

Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Peel, Pulp and Seed Extracts of Different Clones of the Turkish Grape Cultivar ‘Karaerik’

“…Moreover, different plant parts such as leaves, seeds, berry peel, and berry pulp show differences in terms of antioxidant activity. Among grapes, black varieties and their products contain rich nutritional and phenolic content [18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

The effect of harvest time and vintage year on the phenolic composition of Nero and Bianca wines

“…These works declare that cooler temperatures are favourable for accumulation of grape anthocyanins. Malvidin-3-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin component in all measured samples, which is normal, because in most red grapes and red wines this component and its derivatives dominate the anthocyanin profile (Allegro et al, 2021). Total level of anthocyanin was increased from the first harvest to the second one, but a decrease could be detected in both seasons at the third sampling date.…”