Abstract
BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to determine the optimal conditions for making wines by the carbonic maceration (CM) method. In this test, we attempted to identify the causes of the higher volatile acidity of some wines vinified by this method. Accordingly, we measured the development and speed of intracellular fermentation inside the whole grapes under different vinification conditions. RESULTS: An active fermentation of the must in the tanks produced by inoculation with active dry yeasts was more efficient for the process than the addition of exogenous carbon dioxide (CO(2) ). In addition, in CM vinification, the moment of devatting had a great influence on the content of acetaldehyde and acetic acid in the whole grapes. CONCLUSION: Yeast inoculation in the tanks and control of the devatting time are technological tools that could play an important role in the characteristics of the wines produced by carbonic maceration, especially with respect to acetic acid content. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.