Phenols: What (the hell) are they?
There are people who love chemistry. Others get glassy-eyed at the word "molecule" and are unpleasantly reminded of school. Let's see if we can explain the phenols issue to those of you who don't like chemistry in such a way that you read this article to the end - at least that is our stated goal!
Phenols are incredibly important for us winemakers. They are actually the wine, because they determine the color, the aroma/taste, the texture (how the wine feels in the mouth) and the shelf life. If you remove these four characteristics, there really isn't much left of a wine...
From a chemical point of view, phenols are a specific group of organic compounds. There are around two hundred of them in wine. Perhaps that's why they are called polyphenols, i.e. "lots of phenols" ;-). Just like a school class, polyphenols are very reactive (in other words, they are constantly changing). Today we will concentrate on a subgroup of polyphenols, the flavonoids , and take a closer look at some of them.
To avoid your head falling on the table , let's stick with the image of the school class. You remember: In every class there are stars that everyone knows and others that are obscure and get lost in the crowd. It's no different with flavonoids.
The flavones are the nerds. Solid base, always well behaved, inconspicuous, pale, and when they come into contact with water, they dissolve immediately. Otherwise, good for everything.
The anthocyanins are the artists who masterfully handle color, because they determine the color of the berry. The more anthocyanins there are, the darker the berry becomes. This protects the core from UV light.
Photo: Here the anthocyanins have really put in the effort!
And then of course there are the rowdies with their bitter nature . We bet you've heard of this flavonoid rowdy before? We're talking about tannin , which is a characteristic of red wine in particular. "Tanin" is French and means tannin, and that's exactly what it is. Tannin is found in the grape skin, seeds and stems. No wonder then that white wine can't boast about it, because these parts are taken away from it right from the start, whereas red wine ferments with the grape skin and thus develops its friendship with the tannin in peace. Tannin is odorless and tastes rather bitter on the tongue, but is what gives red wine its great flavor. The catechins , which you may have heard of before, are also among these rowdy tannins (a rival gang, so to speak).
Overall, the whole class is an absolute model class , the favorite of all teachers. Because flavonoids are said to have a lot of good properties: they are said to have anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, cancer-preventive and vascular-strengthening effects - and are also powerful antioxidants, of which you can never get enough.
So, bring on the wine? Many medical people have already discussed this topic to their hearts' content. The discussion goes by the funny name " The French Paradox. " The whole world is desperately asking why the French, who drink an outrageous amount of wine and eat fatty butter, have around 20% fewer strokes than Americans or Germans. That can't be right! The reason (who would be surprised after reading this newsletter) is said to be the good properties of flavonoids. However, this has not yet been conclusively proven, so for now we all have to decide for ourselves what amounts of wine are good for us...🍷🍷🍷
Many flavonoid greetings from your counts
PS The chemists and biologists among you may forgive us. Yes, we have oversimplified the matter. But seriously - who likes chemistry?
PPS And to drive the chemists completely crazy, here is the voice-over:
The only elements you need :-)
Sehr schön erklärt! Wenn das mein Chemielehrer so gemacht hätte…..
vielen Dank für für einen so amüsanten Start in den Tag, der Bericht über die Phenole ist einfach klasse, großes Lob, das wollte ich mal rückmelden!!! 😃
Einfach n u r köstlich, auch dieser Beitrag wieder!!! Glückwunsch zur Darstellung komplexer Zusammenhänge und chemischer Vorgänge in so anschaulicher Form. Nur zum Freuen, wirklich. – Und frau möchte sich gleich eine Flasche Wein öffnen. 😂🥰
Ihr macht das wirklich ganz toll. Mit großem Interesse habe ich über die Phenole gelesen. Eine leichte humorvolle Kost die begeistert und das Verständnis von Wein fördert. Kompliment!
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