Evolution of the phenolic content of red wines from Vitis vinifera L. during ageing in bottle

The evolution of the phenolic content, as measured by spectrophotometric methodologies [total polyphenols (TP), low-polymerized polyphenols (LPP), total anthocyanins (TA), catechins (CAT), proanthocyanidins (PRO) and o-diphenols (OD)], was studied in young red wines from Vitis vinifera L. cv Tempranillo, Graciano and Cabernet Sauvignon during 26 months of ageing in bottle. Although the wines showed differences in their initial phenolic profiles, the evolution trend of the different families of phenolic compounds was similar in the wines from the three grape varieties. TA markedly decreased during ageing in bottle (43% for Tempranillo, 65% for Graciano and 66% for Cabernet Sauvignon), following a first-order kinetic. Calculation of the kinetic parameters revealed that the disappearance rate of TA was 2-fold lower for Tempranillo wine than for Graciano and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, which exhibited similar kinetics. This decrease in TA (due to the disappearance of monomeric anthocyanins), together with a increase registered in CAT and PRO (due to the cleavage of proanthocyanidins and their structural tranformations), was consistent with a decrease in LPP, suggesting the occurrence of condensation reactions during ageing in bottle. The evolution trends observed for TP and OD during ageing in bottle were the results of changes in the different groups of phenolic compounds involved in both determinations. Global phenolic determinations, usually performed in wineries, provided useful information in relation to the evolution of wine polyphenols during ageing in bottle.