Concentrations of BSA-Binding Proanthocyanidins in Red Wines Produced in Japan

Proanthocyanidin (PA), total phenol (TP) and alcohol concentrations, as well as the spectrophotometric parameters, of 165 commercial Japanese red wines made from Muscat Bailey A (hybrid: Bailey × Muscat Hamburg, MBA), Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera, CS), Merlot (V. vinifera, MER), and Zweigeltrebe (V. vinifera, ZR) were measured. MBA wines had extremely low PA concentrations (65 mg catechin equivalent (CAE) /L), as compared to CS (312 mg CAE/L), MER (356 mg CAE/L) and ZR wines (412 mg CAE/L). PA concentration was positively correlated with TP concentration and color intensity. A negative correlation was also observed between PA concentration and color hue value. Although alcohol is known to be important for the extraction of PAs into wine, its concentration showed no correlation with PA concentration.