Characteristics of Red Wine Fermentation of Freeze-Concentrated Campbell Early Grape Juice using various Wine Yeasts

Campbell Early grapes, the major grape variety in Korea, contain 13 - 15% (w/v) sugar, which is lower than that appropriate for fermentation of red wine. Therefore, chaptalization with sucrose is usually used to increase the sugar level to an extent adequate to produce a wine containing about 12% (v/v) alcohol. In the present study, fermentation of freeze-concentrated Campbell Early grape juice at was investigated using several industrial wine yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae OC2, S. cerevisiae Fermivin, and S. cerevisiae W-3. During fermentation, changes in the levels of soluble solids, alcohol, total acid, and yeast viable counts were investigated. Alcohol content reached maximal levels after 9 days of fermentation, and was 12.6% (v/v) when the Fermivin strain was used and 13% (v/v) when each of the OC2 and W-3 strains was used. No significant between-strain difference was found, except for slightly slower alcohol production and sugar consumption, and a higher total acid content when strain OC2 was used. Changes in the yeast viable counts were similar during fermentation. The physicochemical characteristics of Campbell Early wine prepared using freeze-concentrated juice were investigated by measuring the levels of total phenolic compounds, organic acids, acetaldehyde, and minor alcohols and assessment of color values. Similar levels of soluble solids and total phenolic contents were observed in wines fermented by the three different strains, but a higher level of total acid was noted in OC2-fermented wine and a lower level of alcohol in Fermivin-fermented wine. The highest level of malic acid and the lowest level of lactic acid were detected in Fermivin-fermented wine. Although the wines showed variable levels of acetaldehyde and minor alcohols, the concentrations of these materials were much lower than those mandated by legal regulations promulgated by the Korean National Tax Service. Red and violet colors in OC2-fermented wine were darker than those of W-3-fermented wine. In sensory evaluation, W-3-fermented wine obtained the highest scores for color and flavor. However, the best taste score was reported for the OC2-fermented wine, whereas Fermivin-fermented wine was awarded the highest score in overall acceptance.