Effects of transport conditions on the stability and sensory quality of wines

Abstract

The quality of wine can be affected by several factors after bottling: temperature changes, shipment time, type and amount of mechanical stress (vibrations) and environmental conditions, such as light exposure and relative humidity. The effects of delivery using different packaging systems (boxes, bottles, containers) and the impacts of mode of shipment (car, truck, airplane and cargo ship) are reviewed, along with compositional markers, the reactions leading to off-odours and/or off-flavours and the approaches to monitoring transportation conditions (temperature, relative humidity and type and entity of vibration) and their impacts on the sensory profile of the wine. Temperature fluctuations are more prevalent during the transport of wine over land than by sea, and may lead to a decrease in the fresh, fruity and floral aromas of the wine and to premature aging due to the ‘pump’ effect (repeated expansion and contraction cycles). Trans-shipment phases should be reduced to a minimum, especially in hot climates. Vibrations, even for a short period of time (15 days), can alter the overall quality of the product.