In this presentation, we will go through the large family of phenolic compounds found in red wines with a special focus on tannins. They are well known to bind to proteins and polysaccharides, which is associated with mouthfeel astringency, and react with anthocyanins and other phenolics to help stabilize red wine color. Tannins also react with oxygen to protect against oxidation and overall maintain high quality in red wines. The first point that will be discussed is related to the quantification of tannins throughout winemaking, which will lead to the second point on how to extract and retain tannins to maintain quality over time.
Aude Watrelot, Assistant Professor & Extension Enology Specialist, Iowa State University
Dr. Aude Watrelot is an Assistant Professor and Extension specialist of Enology in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University. Dr. Watrelot’s research area is fruit, grape and wine tannin and polysaccharide chemistry and their relationship with wine quality. Dr. Watrelot graduated with a PhD degree in Food Science from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the University of Avignon in France. Following graduation, Dr. Watrelot moved to California both at CSU Fresno and UC Davis to keep conducting research into polyphenol-macromolecular interactions on red wine chemistry. At ISU, she is currently conducting research on understanding viticultural and winemaking practices that could maximize phenolics extraction and improve wine quality. Dr. Watrelot develops extension programs such as webinars, workshops, field days, articles to answer the growing wine industry in Iowa and in the Midwest. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Enology and Viticulture – Eastern Section (ASEV-ES) and for the Groupe Polyphenols.