Commercial enological tannins: Characterization and their relative impact on the phenolic and sensory composition of Carménère wine during bottle aging

- Addition of commercial enological tannins (CETs) on Carménère wines was evaluated.
- The wines with CETs from grapes presented the highest values of proanthocyanidins.
- Wines enriched with wood CETs exhibited the highest values of different phenols.
- Temporal dominance of sensations did not reveal any significant differences.
- Impacts of CETs are closely related to the individual characteristics of each product.

The effect of the addition of different commercial enological tannins (CETs) on the characteristics of Carménère red wine was evaluated. Initially, chemical characterization of eleven CETs was performed using spectrophotometric and HPLC-DAD techniques. Then, the effects of six CETs on the properties of a Carménère wine during bottle storage (90 days) were evaluated for up to 90 days. Four CETs from wood exhibited highly variable phenolic compositions and the highest values of hydrolyzable tannins and phenolic acids, whereas the CETs from grapes exhibited the highest values of the mono-, oligo- and polymer fractions of flavan-3-ol. The wines enriched with grape CETs presented the highest values of (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, and monomers and polymers of flavan-3-ols, whereas some wines enriched with wood CETs exhibited the highest values of total phenols, total tannins, dihydroflavonols, proanthocyanidin gallates, syringic acid and flavan-3-ol oligomers. Analysis of temporal dominance of sensations revealed no significant differences in the astringency or bitterness perceptions by a trained panel. Altogether, CETs are highly diverse products that can differentially impact the physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of wines to which they are added. Characterization of CETs before their application in winemaking is highly recommended.