This study was carried out in the city of Bento Gonçalves, RS, Brazil, with Cabernet Sauvignon, a cultivar known throughout the country for the production of cellaring red wine. Like with other red vines, there may be obstacles to maturation in certain harvests, which can make the production of well-structured wines difficult Among the strategies adopted to minimize this problem, is an adequate handling of the vineyard and certain enological operations. In this context, the objective of this study is to investigate the application of enological tannins in the physicochemical composition of the Cabernet Sauvignon wine. In the 2004 harvest, quebracho and chestnut tannins were applied in three different dosages (5,0, 10,0, 20,0 g.hl-1), and three different times of application (maceration, 2 days after crushing; drawing off,, 8 days after crushing; and after the malolatic fermentation, 4 months after crushing). In the stabilized wines, classic physicochemical analyses were performed and chromatic characteristics and polifenols were identified. Due to the good weather during this season, in terms of classic physicochemical characteristics, in general, it seems that the addition of tannins had little influence on the composition of the wine. The variables that would, hypothetically, be more influential, such as anthocyanins and color index, also showed few significant changes, whereas the R 280 and the levels of total tannins were affected.
enology; flavonoids; flavanols; anthocyanines; proanthocyanidines
