Substances Extracted during Skin Contact with White Musts. I. General Wine Composition and Quality Changes with Contact Time

¹ Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis.

Chemical and quality changes in wines due to contact time with skin are reported. Of note are increases in pH, color, total nitrogen, and total phenolics, and decreases in total acid and tartaric acid. Differences in changes with different varieties are noted. Forty-eight hours on the skins harmed quality. Twelve hours of skin contact time was most favorable after 1 year storage, but zero hours (free run) and 12 hours were of equal quality stortly after fermentation. If appears safe to conclude that up to 12 hours of skin contact time will not harm wine quality as long as the main conditions are as reported (no agitation, 70°C, 100 mg/l SO₂, and good yeast inoculum).

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