Abstract
Heat treatment of a submerged-cultured flor sherry, with or without oxygen, decreased the flor character. Some apparent gain occurred in other aspects of sherry character, but indications are that the desired complexity can be produced more easily by other methods, such as blending, than by heating under the conditions tested.
Table and dessert wines heated in the presence of oxygen-filled headspace (40 cc per about 750 ml of wine) changed in ways that were predominantly undesirable. Nitrogen hydrogen or carbon dioxide for dispacing the dissolved and headspace oxygen seemed equivalent in effect. In contrast to oxygen, these gases appeared in these tests behave as if inert and to have effect upon flavor changes during heating of the wine because oxygen had been displaced.
Warming dessert wines at 128°F for up to 20 days in the presence of these inert gases caused definite chemical and sensory quality changes, most of them favorable. These changes appeared small, however, compared to the favorable effects produced in two table wines, particularly the white wine. Further studies have shown that not every wine responds equally favorably, though many are capable of improvement.
In selected table wines, heating in the complete absence of oxygen for 15-30 days at about 128°F (53.4°C) produces definite improvement in bottle bouquet and increased complexity. An, negative factor can be a loss in grape aroma, if any is present.
The nature of the bottle bouquet produced is discussed, along with its similarity to bouquet in bottled white table wines aged 3 to 4 years at wine-cellar temperatures. The conditions of the reaction of bottle bouquet formation appear to preclude enzymatic participation in the reaction because the temperature coefficient appears normal yet the products become noticeable only after a relativey long time at temperatures causing relatively rapid protein denaturation.
This new treatment appears worthy of further trial. It appears to be capable of producing improved table wines with agedtype flavor from selected, pretested standard wines otherwise lacking notably high quality or desirable aroma. Blending such aged-type wine with fruity aromatic young wines might enable production of better white and light red table wines than if the fruity wine were itself subjected to long bottle aging.
- Copyright 1964 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
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