Research for a marker of the hyperoxygenation treatment of musts for the production of white wines

The treatment of white wines by hyperoxygenation of the musts is a technique which improves product stability with respect to the enzymatic oxidation of phenolic compounds. This technique is currently used on both large and small farms. This research attempted to identify a marker for the hyperoxygenation treatment of wines processed with the hyperoxygenation technique and the traditional method. White wines from the 1994 and previous harvests from numerous farms in Friuli Venezia-Giulia were evaluated. It was found that the ratio between the absorbance at 320 nm and 280 nm was a valid marker for the hyperoxygenation of the musts. A value ca. 0.5 was taken to be the discriminating threshold between the techniques considered, with values for this Patio of less than 0.5, indicating that the winemaking process had involved hyperoxygenation of the must.