RECENT SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES ON WINE PIGMENTS

Colour is a major organoleptic property of red wine and is of crucial commercial importance since it is the first quality attribute to be perceived by the consumer. The colour of red wine is due to the presence of a group of polyphenol compounds known as anthocyanins, which constitute a wide family of pigments present in grape skins and sometimes in the grape pulp of some “teinturiers” Vitis vinifera varieties. Anthocyanins have been extensively studied since the beginning of the twentieth century and the development of new analytical and structural characterization techniques (namely chromatographic methods, NMR and mass spectrometry) has pushed forward the study of these compounds over the last ten years. Presentation given by the author at the First International Congress on Barbera, Dec 2nd-3rd, 2005, Alessandria, Italy.