Oak Solutions Group has published new research outlining the advantages of using oenological oak tannins to help fix and stabilise color in red wine. Working in conjunction with Rodney Strong Vineyards and Enotrex, the Oak Solutions Group research team conducted an experiment on Pinot Noir to evaluate the most effective treatment to benefit color fixation and stabilisation during a commercial size trial.

“Our previous trials suggest oak tannin is able to help facilitate color fixation and stabilisation by helping to promote bonding of anthocyanins with condensed tannins,” said David Llodrá, director of research and development. “Since we are specialised in oak, we wanted to understand the efficiency of our oak tannin and compare it with another commercial tannin product commonly sold for color fixation.”

Results from the study confirmed that oak tannins applied during maceration had a significant impact on colour. Analyses also demonstrated that tru/tan f² tannins had the highest impact on colour fixation and stabilisation when compared with another commercial tannin brand, even at lower dose rates.

“The percentage changes in free anthocyanins and bound anthocyanins© as well as the overall colour analysis prove that the most significant results can be achieved using this product,” said Llodrá. “It is also important to note that adding condensed tannin did not have a positive effect on color stability. We can conclude that there is already a sufficient amount of condensed tannin present in the grapes, and when extracted properly, this provides enough condensed tannin in solution to fix color without additional input.”

For more information, contact Teri Smith: [email protected]