Effect of Commercial-Scale Filtration on Sensory and Colloidal Properties of Red Wines over 18 Months Bottle Aging

Abstract

Filtration is essential for red wine stability, but its effect on wine colloids and sensory properties, such as texture, remains a concern. Small-scale investigations have demonstrated loss of color and polysaccharides; however, the effect of commercial-scale filtration on red wines is unknown. Samples of four commercial wines (Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from 2013 and 2014 vintages) were collected from two commercial bottling facilities before and after crossflow filtration and lenticular filtration, after 0.65-μm membrane, and after 0.45-μm membrane filtration. Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 wines were filtered through polyether sulfone or nylon 0.45-μm membranes. The average size of particles in all wines decreased significantly with crossflow filtration. The concentration of polysaccharides decreased with 0.45-μm filtration, while tannin and color remained unchanged. After 18 months of bottle aging, the average particle sizes of filtered and unfiltered 2013 wines were similar, whereas the filtered 2014 wines contained smaller particles than the unfiltered 2014 wines. Sensory analysis showed no consistent filtration-related trends in textural attributes across all wines, although there were some significantly different aromas or flavor attributes for samples of different filtration grade within each wine. These results suggest that commonly applied commercial filtration practices do not affect wine color and have a minimal effect on sensory profiles of red wines.