222 Bulletin UASVM serie Agriculture 69(2)/2012 Print ISSN 1843-5246; Electronic ISSN 1843-5386 The Content of Polyphenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Three Monovarietal Wines and their Blending, used for Sparkling Wine Production Carmen CHIRCU BRAD 1) , Sevastia MUSTE 2)* , Elena MUDURA, 2) Otilia BOBI 2) 1) S.C.Jidvei S.A., 517385, Jidvei, Grii st. 34, Romania, carmen_jidvei@yahoo.com 2) University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Manastur st. 3-5, Romania, sevastita_muste@yahoo.com (corresponding author) Abstract: 3 monovarietal wines obtained in two consecutive years in Jidvei Winery Romania were investigated in respect of total polyphenols, total flavonoids and antioxidant activity before and after blending for sparkling wine obtaining. The three varieties were Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Royal Maiden (Feteasca Regala). Total polyphenols were determined with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, total flavonoid content with sodium nitrite, aluminum chloride and sodium hydroxide and antioxidant activity using Radical Scavenging Activity and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power methods. All mentioned parameters were determined by UV-VIS absorption spectrometry. The determined total polyphenolic content were within the interval 307.21-727.43 mgGAE/l wine for simple varieties and within 405.44-472.74 mgGAE/l for blends and final product (sparkling wine). Total flavonoid content ranged between 16.74 and 242.46 mgQE/l wine in simple varieties and between 38.48 and 80.18 mgQE/l for blends and sparkling wine. Antioxidant activity was correlated with total polyphenols and total flavonoids. Keywords: monovarietal wines, blends, sparkling wine, UV-VIS spectrometry, polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity INTRODUCTION Sparkling wine production is made by four distinctive methods: - Classical champenoise method or “in bottle”, obtained through a second fermentation of the wine raw material in bottle, followed by lees removal by disgorging (dégorgement in French) and riddling (remuage in French) - Discontinuous or charmat method done by second fermentation of base wine in bulk tanks, pressure resistant and addition of a yeast and a small amount of sugar, called the liqueur de tirage, followed by filtration in clean recipients and bottling (Hidalgo at al., 2004; Stefenon at al., 2009) - Transfer method, in which second fermentation take place in bottles where the wine has stayed the desired time on yeast lees, followed by disgorging and riddling operations and in the end sparkling wine is cooled and transferred into a larger tank (method name). The wine is filtered, liqueur de dosage added and filled back into new bottles. - Continuous method based on a fermentation procedure in a system composed by several tanks, hermetically closed, connected in between. Wine base, biologically deoxygenated and well homogenized with sugar and yeast solution is continuously introduced in this system. Sparkling wines have different physico-chemical characteristics, including phenolic composition, in accordance with the grape variety used for base wine production (Chamkha at al., 2003; Pozo-Bayón at al., 2003; Alberici Stefenon at al., 2010). As phenols are considered free radical scavengers, their antioxidant activity depend on the structure of polyphenols (phenolic acids, flavonoids, proantocyanidins, anthocyanidins) (Jordão at al., 2010). The