Effects of using cationic exchange for reducing pH on the composition and quality of sparkling wine (Cava)

Climate change is affecting vine and grape physiology and consequently wine composition, causing a decrease in titratable acidity and an increase in ethanol content and pH. These effects are especially problematic in sparkling wines that need higher acidity to maintain an adequate freshness. Therefore, the wine industry is currently using certain procedures for reducing wine pH, among which cation exchange stands out as it is probably the most widely used. To study the influence of cation exchange treatment on the composition and quality of sparkling wines, a grape juice of Macabeo (pH 3.21 and titratable acidity 5.70 g of tartaric acid/L) after settling was treated to obtain a very acidic grape juice (pH 1.9 and titratable acidity 8.70 g of tartaric acid/L). The original grape juice was then blended in different proportions (0-45 %) with a treated grape juice. These different grape juices were used for obtaining their corresponding base wines which in turn were used for elaborating their corresponding sparkling wines using the traditional method. The cation exchange treatment reduced the pH from 3.15 (Control) to 2.87 (45 % of treatment) and increased the titratable acidity from 4.61 (Control) to 7.69 (45 % of treatment). No significant effects were observed on the concentration of any of the protein or polysaccharide fractions and the foaming properties of the base wine or young sparkling wines were not affected; however, cation exchange caused a decrease in foamability and persistence of the foam in older sparkling wines, especially when the proportion of treated grape juice was higher. A trained panel only found clear sensory differences in the acidity of the sparkling wines without the rest of the attributes being affected by the treatment.