Sugars in wine Sugars in wine Sugars in wine are at the heart of what makes winemaking possible. During the process of fermentation, sugars from wine grapes are broken down and converted by yeast into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. Grapes accumulate sugars as they grow on the grapevine through the translocation of sucrose molecules that are produced by photosynthesis from the leaves. During ripening the sucrose molecules are hydrolyzed (separated) by the enzyme invertase into glucose and fructose. By the time of harvest, between 15 and 25% of the grape will be composed of simple sugars. Both glucose and fructose are six-carbon
Phenolic content in wine the methods of production, wine type, grape varieties, ageing processes, the following phenolics can be found in wine. The list, sorted in alphabetical order of common names, is not exhaustive. Phenolic compounds may interact with volatiles and contribute to the specific release of aromas in a wine. Although phenolics are speculated to provide antioxidant benefits from consuming wine, no evidence exists to date that wine phenolics actually have any effect in humans. Phenolic content in wine The phenolic content in wine refers to the phenolic compounds—natural phenol and polyphenols—in wine, which include a large group of several hundred chemical compounds