Anthocyanin-derived Pigments in Graciano, Tempranillo, and Cabernet Sauvignon Wines Produced in Spain

María Monagas; Verónica Núñez; Begoña Bartolomé; Carmen Gómez-Cordovés

Abstract

The anthocyanin profile of young wines made from Vitis vinifera cv. Graciano was determined by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) and compared with that of Vitis vinifera cv. Tempranillo and cv. Cabernet Sauvignon. Thirty-four anthocyanins and anthocyanin-derived pigments, including pyruvic acid, 4-vinylphenol, and vinylflavanol, plus direct and acetaldehyde-mediated condensation products, were found by direct analysis. Of particular interest was the presence of the cis isomer of malvidin-3-(6''-p-coumaroylglucoside), reported here in wine for the first time. Anthocyanins in Graciano wines were characterized by a high level of peonidins and equal distribution between acetyl and cinnamoyl glucosides in comparison with Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The occurrence of anthocyanin-derived pigments in the different wines appeared to be related to the concentration of the corresponding anthocyanin precursors.

Acknowledgments: The authors are grateful to Julián Suberviola (EVENA, Navarra, Spain) for providing the wine samples, Isabel Izquierdo for technical assistance in the HPLC analysis, and Isabel Jiménez for technical assistance in the MS analysis. The authors also thank the Agencia Española de Cooperación International (AECI) for a MUTIS predoctoral scholarship to M.M. and the Spanish Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) (Project AGL2000-1427-C02-02) for funding.