This paper presents the results from an investigation to assess the development of a Cabernet Sauvignon wine bottled with different closures including a screw cap (ROTE, roll-on-tamper-evident) and different ullage volumes (4, 16 and 64 mL of air). The wines were filled manually, sealed using commercial equipment and stored under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The concentration of free and total SO2, and phenolic compounds including anthocyanins, selected pigments, pigmented polymers and tannins, and colour measurements using spectral and CIELAB methods, have been determined in the wines over a two-year storage period. In addition, sensory analysis of the aroma and palate properties of the wines was performed after 6, 9, 11, 18 and 24 months' storage. The wines sealed under the screw cap with either 4 or 64 mL ullage volumes were clearly different from each other and the other treatments in the study, and these differences were seen within the first year after bottling. The wines bottled under the more commercially relevant conditions, screw cap with 16 mL headspace, synthetic closure or natural bark closure, were more similar in both composition and sensory characters, although subtle differences between different closures were evident. 'Rubbery' and 'struck flint' like aromas (generically termed reduced aroma) were detected in some of the wines in the study but were not a large or dominating character. The scores for this character were highest in the wine sealed under the screw cap with the smallest ullage volume (We recommend that you consult the full text of this article. Original title …)
