Subscribe to Newsletter
Techniques & Tools Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Chemical, Liquid Chromatography, Capillary Electrophoresis, Gas Chromatography, Technology

Winning Wines Under Scrutiny

Pinot noir wines all start off with Pinot noir grapes, and yet there is great variation in color and taste. To find out why, a team of analytical scientists from the University of Helsinki embarked upon research (that was in no way enjoyable) to analyze the chemical profiles of eight Pinot noir wines from across the world. They were able to determine some of the finer processing points, such as which sugars had been added and whether sulfur dioxide was added to prevent the wine from oxidizing.

Heli Sirén, a researcher from the university’s department of chemistry, believes that if more information was included on the label, such as sugar content and organic acid content, it might also provide a clue as to how the wine would taste. For instance, the team found that biodynamically produced grapes fermented without sulfur dioxide and micro-oxygenation treated grapes gave the lowest organics contents – and it is the content of organic acids that can give wine a characteristic taste.

“I’m very interested in winemaking processes and in this study I wanted to look at what’s happening at a molecular level,” says Sirén. “It is commonly known that the flavors and colors of wine are influenced by aging and sunlight, but we also wanted to look at winemaking processes and whether producers use artificial improvements.”

Receive content, products, events as well as relevant industry updates from The Analytical Scientist and its sponsors.
Stay up to date with our other newsletters and sponsors information, tailored specifically to the fields you are interested in

When you click “Subscribe” we will email you a link, which you must click to verify the email address above and activate your subscription. If you do not receive this email, please contact us at [email protected].
If you wish to unsubscribe, you can update your preferences at any point.

  1. H. Sirén, K. Sirén and J. Sirén, “Evaluation of Organic and Inorganic Compounds Levels of Red Wines Processed from Pinot Noir Grapes,” Anal. Chem. Research, 3, 26-36 (2015).
About the Author
Stephanie Vine

Editor, The Medicine Maker

"Making great scientific magazines isn’t just about delivering knowledge and high quality content; it’s also about packaging these in the right words to ensure that someone is truly inspired by a topic. My passion is ensuring that our authors’ expertise is presented as a seamless and enjoyable reading experience, whether in print, in digital or on social media. I’ve spent seven years writing and editing features for scientific and manufacturing publications, and in making this content engaging and accessible without sacrificing its scientific integrity. There is nothing better than a magazine with great content that feels great to read."

Register to The Analytical Scientist

Register to access our FREE online portfolio, request the magazine in print and manage your preferences.

You will benefit from:
  • Unlimited access to ALL articles
  • News, interviews & opinions from leading industry experts
  • Receive print (and PDF) copies of The Analytical Scientist magazine

Register