Oral persistence of esters is affected by wine matrix composition

Abstract

The present work evaluated for the first time the influence of wine matrix composition on oral ester persistence. To do that, the in mouth behaviour (oral retention and persistence) of six esters was followed in nine individuals after they rinsed their mouths with four rosé wines presenting two levels (low and moderate) of ethanol (0.5% or 10% v/v) and polyphenols (402 ± 10 or 661 ± 33 mg gallic acid/L). Overall, polyphenols and specially, ethanol, affected the oral retention of esters and their subsequent oral persistence, in an individual, compound and concentration dependent manner. The wine with moderate ethanol and low polyphenol content and the wine with low ethanol and moderate polyphenol content presented an increased oral ester persistence respect to the control wine (low ethanol/polyphenol content). However, the wine with moderate ethanol/polyphenol content showed most likely a lower oral ester persistence compared to the rest of the wines. Thus, an interaction between ethanol and polyphenols at specific concentrations could reduce oral ester persistence, and likely the fruity character of wines. The information generated in this research can be used by winemakers to understand how different winemaking techniques, which might alter wine ethanol and polyphenol content, may also affect wine aroma quality.