Rabino Danilo, Allochis Davide, Gerbi Gianpiero
Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l'Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili (STEMS), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino, Italy.
Independent Researcher, 14010 Cantarana, Italy.
Foods. 2025 May 30;14(11):1961. doi: 10.3390/foods14111961.
In wine production, technology influences its chemical composition, which in turn affects its organoleptic properties. As a result, innovative production techniques play a crucial role on the competitive wine market. Underwater wine aging has gained increasing popularity in recent years as an innovative method that can expand the variety of products available and bring engaging story telling. Some companies now offer this service to wine producers, although there is still limited knowledge about its effects on different wine types. This preliminary study investigated the impact of underwater aging by examining a well-structured red wine that was submerged for several months in spring water, comparing them to the same wine aged in a cellar for the same period. The chemical properties of the wines were analyzed after both the first (12 months of underwater and cellar aging), second (another 12 months), and third aging periods (further 12 months), to determine if there were any significant differences between them. The results revealed that underwater aging had a significant impact on the wines' chemical composition. The dissolved oxygen level and total anthocyanin content were most notably affected by the different aging methods, while the phenolic profile and color compounds showed less influence from the treatments. The sensory test indicated that the wines aged under water and in the cellar were perceived differently, depending on the aging method and the time of evaluation (after 12, 24 or 36 months). The results of the organoleptic tests underline how the effect of the conservation environment on the sensory properties is of greater impact in the early stages of post-bottling refinement, while the differences tend to disappear when the post-bottling refinement is extended up to 36 months. The first results of a second experimental campaign seem to confirm the trends detected in the first one, although with less evidence. Further investigation is required to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of underwater aging and its wider impact on wine production.
在葡萄酒生产中，技术会影响其化学成分，而化学成分又会反过来影响其感官特性。因此，创新的生产技术在竞争激烈的葡萄酒市场中起着至关重要的作用。近年来，水下葡萄酒陈酿作为一种创新方法越来越受欢迎，它可以扩大产品种类并带来引人入胜的故事。现在一些公司向葡萄酒生产商提供这项服务，尽管关于其对不同葡萄酒类型的影响的了解仍然有限。这项初步研究通过检测一款结构良好的红葡萄酒来调查水下陈酿的影响，该红葡萄酒在泉水中浸泡了几个月，并将其与在酒窖中陈酿相同时间的同款葡萄酒进行比较。在第一次（水下和酒窖陈酿12个月）、第二次（再陈酿12个月）和第三次陈酿期（再陈酿12个月）后分析葡萄酒的化学性质，以确定它们之间是否存在任何显著差异。结果表明，水下陈酿对葡萄酒的化学成分有显著影响。溶解氧水平和总花青素含量受不同陈酿方法的影响最为显著，而酚类物质谱和色素化合物受处理的影响较小。感官测试表明，根据陈酿方法和评估时间（12、24或36个月后），水下陈酿和酒窖陈酿的葡萄酒的口感不同。感官测试结果强调了在装瓶后陈酿的早期阶段，储存环境对感官特性的影响更大，而当装瓶后陈酿延长至36个月时，差异往往会消失。第二次实验的初步结果似乎证实了第一次实验中发现的趋势，尽管证据较少。需要进一步研究以全面了解水下陈酿的复杂性及其对葡萄酒生产的更广泛影响。
