Work

Quality Perception of Interspecific Hybrid Red Wine in Relation to Anthocyanin Profile and Color Parameters

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background and goals Interspecific hybrid winegrapes are of increasing interest in the context of climate change due to their disease resistance and cold hardiness. Color plays an important role in sensory and quality determination of wine, and hybrid wine color can vary from that of Vitis vinifera. Consumer acceptance of hybrid wine color is assumed to be low, but this question has not been explored. Darker colored wines are expected to have higher consumer liking scores, but hybrid wine color is not expected to be inherently disliked. Methods and key findings Eight commercial wines from across the United States, including five non-vinifera monovarietal wines and three Pinot noirs (V. vinifera L.) from different regions, were used for consumer sensory analysis. Red wine consumers ranked hedonic liking for multiple color parameters, as well as “expected liking” prior to tasting the wine and “actual liking” following in-mouth evaluation. Chemical analyses of these eight wines and nine additional interspecific hybrid samples included UV-vis spectrophotometry, CIE-L*a*b* colorimetry, total anthocyanin content, and monomeric anthocyanin profile analysis via solid-phase extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Wines with higher L* values (lighter color) and higher b* values (more brown hues) received the lowest liking scores. Conclusions and significance This work suggests that although color is an important predictor of quality expectation in wine, it is a weak predictor for actual wine liking. The color of wines produced from interspecific hybrid grapes falls within the range of those derived from V. vinifera grape cultivars and production methods, thus alleviating concerns that the former will face consumer rejection for not exhibiting “vinifera-like” color.

Source: American Journal of Enology and Viticulture

DOI: 10.5344/ajev.2026.25042

Authors: Catherine Dadmun, Natalia Quijada-Morin, Régis Gougeon, Anna Katharine Mansfield