Effect of co-winemaking in phenolic composition, color and antioxidant capacity of young red wines from La Mancha region

The influence of co-winemaking technique on the phenolic profiles, color and antioxidant capacity of wines made from red grape varieties cultivated in La Mancha region (Spain) was investigated. Co-winemaking red wines were obtained by pre-fermentative blend of grapes (1:1, w/w) from the predominant Cencibel (Tempranillo) variety in this region and the minor varieties Bobal, Moravia Agria, Moravia Dulce, Tortosi and Rojal, together with a three varieties blend (1:1:1, w/w/w) of Cencibel, Bobal and Moravia Agria grapes. The phenolic profiles obtained in co-winemaking wines showed more quantity of different compounds than single-variety wine of Cencibel used as reference. The best results were obtained using Bobal, Moravia Agria and Moravia Dulce varieties for co-winemaking, especially an improvement of color characteristics. All co-winemaking wines significantly increased the total resveratrol content as compared to the Cencibel reference wine, although cis-isomers largely predominated in all wines. Moravia Agria and Rojal varieties produced co-winemaking wines with decreased antioxidant capacity, whereas Bobal and Moravia Dulce varieties increased it, even when the co-winemaking wine from Moravia Dulce contained less total polyphenols than Cencibel reference wine. Co-winemaking technique can be suggested as a way to widen the offer of wines to consumers, incorporating characteristic properties of minor grape varieties. In addition, this enological technique has the benefit of avoiding the disappearance of native species, thus improving the biodiversity of La Mancha region.