Improvement of Cencibel red wines by oxygen addition after malolactic fermentation: study on color-related phenolics, volatile composition, and sensory characteristics.

The objective of this paper was to check whether a micro-oxygenation technique applied after malolactic fermentation could improve the quality of Cencibel red wines. For that purpose, the color-related phenolics, volatile composition, and sensory characteristics during the micro-oxygenation treatment have been considered. The phenolic compounds more affected by the oxygen addition were hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives [(+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin], flavonols (glycosilated forms), and anthocyanins-related pigments. The fact that the concentration of pyranoanthocyanins and hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocyanins was higher in treated red wines is closely related to their color stabilization. As a consequence, higher values of the yellow and red component of the color (b* and a*, respectively) were also observed in micro-oxygenated red wines. Red wine aroma quality was also improved in treated wines. A significant decrease in herbaceous notes, bitterness, acidity, and astringency was found, as well as higher scores of red fruits, plum, liquorice, and spicy attributes in oxygen-added red wines.