Improving the quality of wines by knowing the grape mechanical properties and phenolic content changes during withering and maceration processes.

As part of this PhD project several studies on the grape mechanical properties changes during the withering and maceration processes were done. The crushed berry skin break force evaluation during the maceration evidenced a decreasing trend by the maceration time and by the ripeness level of the grapes. The withering effect on the grape mechanical properties and on the phenolic content was evaluated. An in-progress study on Nebbiolo grapes evaluates the anthocyanin extractability and the skin composition of withered grapes (0-45% weight loss). The studies improved the general knowledge of the withering and maceration processes, opening new possibilities of study.