Sensory Study of the Effect of Fluorescent Light on a Sparkling Wine and Its Base Wine

¹ E.N.S.B.A.N.A., Campus Universitaire, 21 100 DIJON, France
² Departement of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-5270.

The effect of exposure to fluorescent light on sparkling wine and the still wine from which it was made was studied in green and flint (clear) bottles. Although the green glass afforded some protection against the light, a significant difference in aroma was produced after 18 hours and 31.1 hours of exposure, respectively, in the still and the sparkling wines. In flint glass, significant differences in aroma were produced after 3.4 hours and 3.3 hours, respectively, in the still and the sparkling wines. Because of the extreme light sensitivity of white wine bottled in clear glass, serious consideration should be paid to using uv-screening agents in clear glass or to switching to green or brown glass. The lightstruck aroma (goûts de lumière) produced on exposure of still and sparkling wines to fluorescent light was characterized by descriptive analysis. With increased time of exposure, a decrease in citrus aroma intensity occurred, while the intensity of cooked cabbage, corn nuts, wet dog/wet wool, and soy/marmite aromas increased.

Key words: aroma, fluorescent light, sparkling wine

Submitted on November 7, 1988