ABSTRACT
Maria Jose Valera, Albert Mas, and Maria Jesús Torija
Chapter Authors:
María José Valera (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9414-6286" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9414-6286)
Albert Mas (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0763-1679" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0763-1679)
María Jesús Torija (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6419-0745" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6419-0745)
Wine and raisin vinegars are traditionally produced in the wine making regions all over the world. The use of modern technologies compared with traditional methods result in different physicochemical and sensorial profiles of the final products. The chemical composition of wine and raisin vinegars is different depending on the raw material, production process, and eventually on the ageing method applied. Several methodologies have been used for wine vinegars analysis and description. The ageing process is a key factor related with the organoleptic properties and quality of both wine and vinegar. Another important factor is the starter culture used. In the vinegar industry, the starter cultures are usually mixtures of undefined bacterial strains, which may generate problems in the acetification process. However, the hurdles for detection, identification, and storage of acetic acid bacteria makes difficult the creation of reliable starters to further improve the quality of wine vinegars. In this chapter, the above aspects of vinegar production from wines or raisins are discussed and fields for improvement are proposed.
