The colours, pigment and phenol contents of young port wines: <p>Effects of cultivar, season and site </p>

Abstract

95 port wines were made under standard small scale conditions from grapes of 16 individual cultivars grown at 5 different sites in the Douro valley in northern Portugal during 1977-1983. Grape specific grayity and pH values were measured. The ports were analysed immediately after fortification for colour, pigment and phenol contents and pH. Cultivar variations were up to 12-fold in total pigments, 14-fold in colour density, but only 3.6-fold in total phenols . Seasonal vari ations were up to 2-fold in total pigments and colour density and 1.6-fold in total phenols . Because of seasonal effects and variation in the numbers of each cultivar examined, cultivar characteristics were compared by their mean values with reference to an arbitrarily chosen standard cultivar (Touriga Nacional). Statistical analysis confirmed that the variation in total pigments was affected much more by cultivar than by season.
 Souzão, Tinta da Barca and Touriga Nacional ports (all from Tua) were the most coloured and contained most pigments. Mourisco (Tua) and Tinta Cão (Baixo Corgo) were the least coloured and contained least pigments. Port colour was dependent principally on pigments content and pH, but small effects attributed to anthocyanin selfassociation and co-pigmentation were also discerned. Differences between sites were generally not significant, apart from some characteristics of Touriga Nacional from Pinhão compared with Tua and Vilariça. which were attributed to the particular strain of fruit at Pinhäo. Nevertheless, there was some indication that the inferior status of Baixo Corgo compared with Cima Corgo fruit may be attributed not only to its generally lower pigments content, but also to smaller percentages of the pigments being expressed in coloured forms.