Use of enzymes in wine making: A review

Many years after the fruit juice industry`s recognition of the value of applying enzymes, winemakers have also come to acknowledge their usefulness. From the pre-fermentation stage, through fermentation, post-fermentation and aging, enzymes catalyzing various biotransformation reactions. These enzymes originate from the grape, yeasts and other microbes associated with vineyards and wine cellars. Today, winemakers use commercial enzyme preparations. These industrial enzymes offer quantitative benefits (increased free and press juice yields), qualitative benefits (improved color extraction in red grape varieties, improvements in the aging process of wines i.e. flavor enhancement) and processing benefits (shorter time of maceration, settling and filtration). This review article summarises the most important enzymes applied to winemaking and effects of commercial enzyme preparations on process technology and the quality of the final product. Future biotechnological advances will facilitate increased use of enzymes in these and other potential applications.