The effect of the pre-fermentative cold-maceration technique on phenolic composition, on colour stabilisation and on sensory characteristics of Pinot noir wine has been studied in 2001 and 2002 vintages. The grapes came from a vineyard situated in an area of Piedmont were Pinot noir has an early vintage (half, end of August). The phenolic and the technological maturation in 2001 was higher than in 2002. Both wines -test wine and cold-macerated wine - were poured in barrels at the vatting time. The malolactic fermentation was carried out in barrels where the wines were aged for 15 months. The wines obtained with the cold maceration with liquid CO2 were richer in anthocyanins and polyphenols than the test wines. Their sensory characteristics - colour, odor and taste - were different especially at the beginning of aging and in the first year. After 15 month of barrel aging the wines were very similar. In 2001 the colour of the cold-macerated wine was more brown than the colour of the test wine, probably because the low molecular weight tannins were in higher concentration and they were preferably interested in oxidative polymerization reactions, more than anthocyanins. The anthocyanins had a similar evolution in both samples from the end of malolactic fermentation. In the particular conditions examined, the technique utilised can contribute to obtain full-bodied wines suitable for aging. The full text of this article was published in Rivista di Viticoltura e di Enologia, 2004, 57 (4) 33-62
