Antioxidant activity in relation to the phenolic profile during the winemaking of sweet wines Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon

The phenolic profile during the winemaking of Cabernet Sauvignon sweet wines has been studied, including the stages of controlled grape drying and the posterior maceration of the fortified musts with their skins. Each phenolic family has been correlated individually with the antioxidant activity measured by the 2,2,-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl assay. Linear regressions with a confidence level superior to 99% have been found with hydroxybenzoic acids, esters of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavan-3-ol derivatives, tannins, anthocyanin adducts, polymers and polymeric pigments. With a multiple correlation, the antioxidant properties of musts and sweet wines were explained jointly by the families of polymeric pigments and flavan-3-ol derivatives. The musts during the drying process and the wines during the maceration presented a different phenolic composition and were distinguished using a cluster analysis and a principal component analysis.