Abstract
Quantitative data on the concentration of phenolic compounds in a large, representative sample of widely consumed commercial red wines have been lacking. The 21 highest volume Cabernet Sauvignon wines, representing 17% of all red wines sold in US supermarkets (and over two million 9-L cases), were selected based on 1995 WINESCAN data reports. The wines were analyzed using a HPLC method with a ternary solvent system to achieve separation of all monomeric phenols and anthocyanins, and the total phenolic content by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent was determined. The levels of each compound were then averaged using a weighting factor determined by each wine's representative volume to create a weighted average. These results were then compared to five ultra-premium (UP), commercially available Cabernet Sauvignons noted for their aging potential; the UP wines had significantly higher phenolic levels. The wines were also analyzed for their pH, titratable acidity, volatile acidity, free and total sulfur dioxide, alcohol, malic acid, glucose, and fructose using standard methods. Based on this data analysis, a standard Cabernet Sauvignon wine with typical phenolic levels is proposed
- Received March 1998.
- Revision received December 1998.
- Copyright 1999 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
Sign in for ASEV members
ASEV Members, please sign in at ASEV to access the journal online.
Sign in for Institutional and Non-member Subscribers
Log in using your username and password
Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 day for US$10.00
Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.