The Relation of Anthocyanin Composition to Color Stability of New York State Wines

Abstract

The qualitative diversity of anthocyanin pigments in the grapes of New York is reported. Differences in hue and resistance to decolorization and browning were observed. Diglucosides proved to be more stable to decolorization than the corresponding monoglucosides, but the latter were less prone to browning. Malvidin and peonidin were most stable, and delphinidin least stable, of the ten pigments studied. Peonidin and cyanidin gave wine a more fiery-red hue than did malvidin, petunidin, and delphinidin, which tended toward a bluish red. These observations will be of assistance in breeding and selecting grapes for red wines. The fallacy of using optical density indices for comparison of monoand diglucoside wines is emphasized.