Evolution of polyphenols in red wines from Vitis vinifera L. during aging in the bottleII. Non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds

The evolution of non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds (as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography) in young red wines from Vitis vinifera L. cv Tempranillo, Graciano and Cabernet Sauvignon (vintage 2000) from Navarra (Spain) was studied during 26 months of aging in the bottle. Hydroxybenzoic acids and derivatives (gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic and syringic acids, and methyl and ethyl gallates), hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives (trans-caftaric, cutaric, caffeic and p-coumaric acids, and hexose esters of trans-p-coumaric acid), stilbenes (trans- and cis-resveratrol-3-O-glucosides, and trans- and cis-resveratrol), phenolic alcohols and other related compounds (tyrosol and tryptophol), flavanols [procyanidins B1 and B2, (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin] and flavonols (myricetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-galactoside and quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, kaempherol-3-O-glucoside, myricetin and quercetin) presented different evolution patterns during aging, in some cases also being different depending on the grape variety studied. The changes that occurred during aging in the bottle were the decrease of the concentration of trans-caftaric and cutaric acids accompanied by an increase of trans-caffeic acid and, especially of trans-p-coumaric acid. The greater increase of trans-p-coumaric acid was also associated with the disappearance of p-coumaroyl-acylated anthocyanins that occurs during aging in the bottle. Flavanols registered a major decrease, with the disappearance rate being greater for the dimeric procyanidins than for the monomeric flavanols, and the order of the disappearance rate by variety was as follows: Tempranillo<Graciano≅Cabernet Sauvignon. The low disappearance rate of flavanols in wines from Tempranillo was attributed to their low reactivity with anthocyanins, which in turn could be associated with the particular anthocyanin-to-flavanol ratio and with the high pH value of this variety.