Life is too short to drink bad wine.
Consistent taste of wine
Consistently good wine relies on maintaining ratios. Phenols, sugars, aromatics and acids all play an important role in the taste and after taste. By monitoring the ratios of these components a more consistant flavour can be achieved bottle-to-bottle, vintage-to vintage.
Phenols:
Phenols contribute to the bitterness of the grapes and wine and are responsible for most of the colour.
Aromatics:
The character of the wine is provided by the volatile aroma compounds.
Organic acids:
Three main organic acids occur in grapes: malic, tartaric and citric acid. They are important contributors to the flavour balance.
Monitoring and analysing acids and anions
Ion chromatography provides a robust, reliable method for the analysis of individual organic acids in wines (lactic, malic, tartaric and oxalic) alongside standard anions (chloride, nitrate, sulfate and phosphate). Monitoring of these acids allows a better understanding of the acidity ratios and, in particular, the malo-lactic fermentation of wines.
