Influence of Ethanol Content on the Extent of Copigmentation in a Cencibel Young Red Wine

The effect of ethanol content on the copigmentation of a Cencibel young red wine was studied, by means of ethanol elimination and reconstitution of the initial volume with different ethanol proportions. The reference wine (14.0% ethanol, 0.40 g/L volatile acidity) showed a bathochromic shift of 4 nm and a color enhancement (DeltaColor) of 41%, lower than that found for the reconstituted wine with the same ethanol content (53%). This discrepancy could be attributable to the loss of acetic acid during the ethanol elimination step. DeltaColor was 95% for the reconstituted wine without ethanol and decreased until 18% for the reconstituted wine with 22% ethanol. Copigmentation was important for reconstituted wines with ethanol contents typical for table red wine, showing DeltaColor between 53 and 57%. An increase in ethanol content in reconstituted wines was accompanied by an increase in the pH value. Perceivable changes in color (DeltaE > 1) followed every increase in ethanol content.