The Effect of the Storage on the Content of the Malvidin-3-Glucoside in Red Wine

Anthocyanins are plant dyes responsible for the colour of red wine. Of these, malvidin-3-glucoside is the most significant member and its content was monitored in wines that were first left to age in oak barrels for 12 months, subsequently bottled and sealed with plastic/cork stoppers. The malvidin-3-glucoside content was also studied in the same wines that were bottled right away without aging in barrels. Analyses were conducted within the time spans of 3 to 30 months. The highest malvidin-3-glucoside concentrations were found in month 3 of the aging process, and they significantly decreased in month 6 and month 15 of storing. Between month 15 and month 30 of storing, the content of malvidin-3-glucoside basically remained unchanged. The results of the measurements show that to preserve higher malvidin-3-glucoside levels for longer periods of time, it is better to store wine in barrels rather than in bottles and when a bottle is used instead of a barrel, a plastic stopper is better than a cork stopper.