JP7654348B2 - Fruit wine containing oak chip infusion - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fruit wine containing an oak chip infusion, and more specifically to a fruit wine containing an oak chip infusion and with an extremely small amount of added sulfite.

With the recent rise in health and natural consciousness, interest in food additives such as preservatives and coloring agents has been growing. Attempts have been made to reduce or eliminate the use of such food additives in various foods and beverages, but for foods and beverages that need to remain in the distribution channel for a certain period after production, it is not easy to eliminate food additives that contribute to stable quality in order to meet the quality standards that satisfy consumers.

Generally, sulfurous acid is used in commercially available fruit liquors such as wine as a typical food additive for product stabilization. Sulfurous acid is sometimes used during various manufacturing processes, such as when crushing the fruit that is the raw material for the fruit liquor and during alcoholic fermentation, but it is most often added after the fruit liquor is produced and before it is bottled. This is to prevent quality deterioration over the long period of time that the fruit liquor travels through the market.

However, as mentioned above, in recent years, the inclusion of food additives that act as quality stabilizers has tended to give a negative impression to general consumers. From this perspective, fruit liquors that do not contain sulfite have also been developed, and methods used include reducing the amount of acetaldehyde produced, which gives off an unpleasant odor when combined with sulfite, and minimizing contact of fruit liquor with outside air during the brewing and bottling processes. Previous reports have also disclosed a technology that allows the production of high-quality sulfite-free fruit liquor by incorporating 500 ppm or more of proanthocyanidins (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-51791

The present invention aims to provide a fruit wine with improved storage stability, in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is reduced.

After extensive research to solve the above problems, the inventors focused on the presence of oak chips. They discovered that an oak chip infusion obtained by soaking oak chips in fruit wine significantly improves the storage stability compared to fruit wines containing a small amount of added sulfite. Based on this knowledge, the inventors have completed the present invention.

The present invention relates to, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) A fruit wine containing oak chip exudate and having an added amount of sulfurous acid of 130 ppm or less.
(2) The fruit wine according to (1), having a vanillin content of 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm.
(3) A fruit wine according to (1) or (2), containing concentrated and reconstituted fruit juice as a raw material for the fruit wine.
(4) The fruit wine according to any one of (1) to (3), which is wine.
(5) A method for producing fruit wine, comprising the step of soaking oak chips in fruit wine, in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less.
(6) A method for producing fruit wine, in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less, comprising the steps of soaking oak chips in an alcohol-containing solvent to obtain an oak chip extract, and adding the oak chip extract to fruit wine.
(7) The method according to (5) or (6), further comprising a step of adjusting the vanillin content to 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm.
(8) The method according to any one of (5) to (7), comprising a step of incorporating concentrated reconstituted fruit juice into the raw material for the fruit wine.
(9) The method according to any one of (5) to (8), wherein the fruit wine is wine.
(10) A method for stabilizing fruit wine, comprising the step of soaking oak chips in the fruit wine, in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less.
(11) A method for stabilizing fruit wine with an added amount of sulfurous acid of 130 ppm or less, comprising the steps of soaking oak chips in an alcohol-containing solvent to obtain an oak chip infusion, and adding the oak chip infusion to the fruit wine.
(12) The method according to (10) or (11), comprising a step of adjusting the vanillin content to 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm.

The present invention makes it possible to provide fruit liquor with effectively improved storage stability, even when the amount of sulfurous acid added is small or no sulfurous acid is added. This makes it possible to distribute fruit liquor with reduced or no food additives related to quality stabilization on the market for a long period of time, and also increases consumer satisfaction.

Furthermore, in the course of the inventors' research, it was found that the presence of sulfurous acid prevents the fruity flavor inherent to fruit liquor, and also significantly impairs the rich aroma derived from the oak chips. Therefore, the fruit liquor of the present invention, in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is reduced, is able to provide the fruity flavor inherent to fruit liquor, while also better demonstrating the rich aroma that the oak chips impart to the fruit liquor.

One aspect of the present invention is a fruit wine that contains oak chip infusion and has an added amount of sulfurous acid of 130 ppm or less. Unless otherwise specified, "ppm" as used in this specification means ppm by weight/volume (w/v).

(oak chip exudate)
The fruit wine of the present invention contains an oak chip infusion. Here, in this specification, the oak chip infusion means a component eluted from oak chips soaked in a liquid. In this specification, the oak chip is a small piece of wood called oak wood. As the oak wood, a plant belonging to the genus Quercus of the Fagaceae family can be used, and examples of the oak wood include white oak, European oak (also called English oak), Japanese oak (also called Cecil oak), common oak (also called Limousin oak), and Spanish oak. These oak woods can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds. The size of the oak chips is not particularly limited as long as the components in the oak chips can be eluted, but is usually about the size that fits within a cube of 0.1 to 10 cm.

The oak chips may be small pieces of oak wood that has already been used for some purpose, small pieces of oak wood immediately after production, or small pieces generated during the production process of oak wood, and there is no particular limit to the history of their use. Since the present invention utilizes the exudates of oak chips, it is preferable to use small pieces of oak wood after production, or small pieces of oak wood generated during the production process that have not yet come into contact with liquid. In addition, the oak chips may be small pieces of oak wood that are used as they are, or may be heated, such as roasted, before use. Oak chips that have been heated, such as roasted, may have different exuded components compared to oak chips that have not been heated, and may be preferable depending on the type of fruit wine.

The liquid in which the oak chips are soaked to obtain the oak chip infusion is not particularly limited, but an alcohol-containing solvent is used. The alcohol concentration in the solvent is, for example, 1 to 50%, preferably 3 to 40%, and more preferably 5 to 20%. As the alcohol, ethanol is particularly preferably used. The alcohol-containing solvent is not particularly limited as long as alcohol is present in the solvent, and fruit wine itself can also be used as the alcohol-containing solvent.

Oak chip infusions can be obtained by soaking oak chips in liquid. The amount of oak chips to be soaked in liquid can be set appropriately depending on the type of liquid used, for example, 1 to 100 g, preferably 2 to 70 g, and more preferably 3 to 50 g per 1 L of liquid. The soaking time of the oak chips is, for example, 1 to 90 days, preferably 2 to 30 days, and more preferably 3 to 21 days, and this can also be set appropriately depending on the type of liquid used.

As the oak chip infusion obtained as described above, the oak chip soaking liquid can be used as it is. In this case, the oak chips may be removed from the oak chip soaking liquid by filtration or the like before use, or the oak chip soaking liquid may be extracted with a dropper or the like while the oak chips are still present and used.

(Sulfurous acid)
In the fruit wine of the present invention, the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less. Sulfurous acid is a sulfur oxoacid represented _by the chemical formula _H2SO3 . In this specification, the amount of sulfurous acid added means the amount of sulfurous acid added to the fruit wine after production. By adding an extremely small amount of sulfurous acid as in the present invention, the fruit flavor inherent to the fruit wine can be fully obtained, and the rich aroma specific to oak chips can be fully perceived. The amount of sulfurous acid added is preferably 120 ppm or less, more preferably 80 ppm or less, and most preferably 0 ppm (i.e., no sulfurous acid added).

In this specification, sulfurous acid is meant to include salts of sulfurous acid. Examples of salts of sulfurous acid include, but are not limited to, sodium sulfite, potassium sulfite, potassium pyrosulfite, sodium hydrogensulfite, ammonium sulfite, and iron sulfite. When sulfite salts are used, the amount of sulfurous acid to be added can be calculated by converting the amount of sulfurous acid salts into the amount of free sulfurous acid (i.e., _SO2 ).

In the process of producing fruit liquor, sulfurous acid may be used when crushing the fruits that are the raw material for the fruit liquor, or during alcoholic fermentation, or sulfurous acid may be produced by yeast during alcoholic fermentation. In such cases, some amount of sulfurous acid will be present in the fruit liquor after production. Therefore, in addition to the amount of sulfurous acid added as described above, the fruit liquor of the present invention has a sulfurous acid content of 150 ppm or less, preferably 100 ppm or less, and more preferably 50 ppm or less.

In the fruit wine of the present invention, sulfite may exist in a free form including bisulfite ion (HSO ₃ ^- ), sulfite ion (SO ₃ ^2- ) and sulfurous acid (H ₂ SO ₃ ), or in a bound form bound to a carbonyl compound such as acetaldehyde. In this specification, the total value of these free and bound sulfite is defined as the sulfite content in the fruit wine, and the amount is expressed in ppm (w/v). Known methods for measuring the sulfite content include the Rankine method (aeration-oxidation method), the Ripper method of iodometric titration, and the enzymatic method, but in this specification, the analysis is performed by the Rankine method.

(vanillin)
The fruit wine of the present invention may contain vanillin. Vanillin is a compound represented by the chemical formula C ₈ H ₈ O ₃ , and is known as a major component of vanilla aroma. The vanillin content in the fruit wine of the present invention is, for example, 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm, preferably 0.0005 to 0.1 ppm, and more preferably 0.001 to 0.05 ppm. When oak chip exudate is present and the vanillin content is within the above range, the fruit wine can be effectively stabilized even with a small amount of sulfurous acid added, and the mellow aroma of the fruit wine can be enhanced. The vanillin content in the fruit wine can be measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

In the present invention, vanillin is preferably derived from an oak chip infusion. Therefore, in the fruit wine of the present invention, the oak chip infusion or an oak chip soaking solution containing the infusion can be added to the fruit wine so that the vanillin content in the fruit wine falls within the above-mentioned range.

(concentrated fruit juice)
The fruit liquor of the present invention may be prepared using any of straight fruit juice, diluted straight fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, and concentrated reconstituted fruit juice as a raw material, and preferably contains concentrated reconstituted fruit juice as a raw material for the fruit liquor. Straight fruit juice refers to fruit juice that has not been concentrated or diluted with the squeezed juice of fruit. Concentrated fruit juice refers to straight fruit juice that has had water removed from the fruit juice by a heating concentration method, a freezing concentration method, or the like to increase the concentration of the fruit juice. Concentrated reconstituted fruit juice refers to fruit juice that has been diluted with water or the like to have a concentration equivalent to that of straight fruit juice in terms of calculation. When concentrated reconstituted fruit juice is used as a raw material in the fruit liquor of the present invention, it is expected that the quality stability will be improved compared to when the fruit juice is prepared as is. In addition, since the composition of volatile aroma components is different in concentrated reconstituted fruit juice compared to the fruit juice, the fruit-like aroma and taste, or the mellow aroma of the fruit liquor may be felt more strongly.

The concentrated reconstituted fruit juice may be non-heat sterilized or heat sterilized. Examples of non-heat sterilization include filtration sterilization using a membrane filter or hollow fiber, and ultraviolet sterilization. Examples of heat sterilization include high-temperature sterilization at 100°C or higher and low-temperature sterilization at less than 100°C.

When using concentrated reconstituted fruit juice, the concentrated fruit juice is usually diluted with water etc., but it can be adjusted and diluted so that the fruit juice percentage is at least 50%, preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 80%, and particularly preferably 100% of the original fruit juice (fruit juice before concentration). That is, for example, when concentrated fruit juice that is 10 times concentrated is used, it can be adjusted to have a fruit juice percentage of 100% of the original fruit juice (fruit juice before concentration) by diluting it 10 times.

(Other ingredients)
As described above, the fruit wine of the present invention may contain vanillin, but may also contain other aroma components. Examples of such aroma components include ellagitannin (also called ellagitannin), lactone, guaiacol, ethyl guaiacol, eugenol, isoeugenol, furfural, 5-methylfurfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, coumarin, syringol, vanillic acid, apocynin, syringaldehyde, coniferyl aldehyde, and coniferyl alcohol, and one or more of these may be contained in the fruit wine of the present invention in combination. Each of these aroma components may be contained in the fruit wine of the present invention at a content of 0.0001 to 1 ppm, and it is preferable that they are derived from oak chip exudates.

The fruit wine of the present invention may also contain other volatile components, such as acetic acid, hexanoic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, 1-propanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-hexanol, 2-heptanol, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 2,3-butanediol, 1-octanol, 1-nonanol, and 2-furanmethanol. Each of these volatile components may be present in the fruit wine of the present invention at a content of 0.0001 to 5 ppm, and is preferably derived from the fruit wine or oak chip infusion. The above-mentioned volatile components may be contained in the fruit wine of the present invention in one or a combination of two or more.

The fruit wine of the present invention may also contain sugars to adjust the taste (e.g., sweetness). The type of sugar is not particularly limited, but examples include glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, etc., and these sugars can be used alone or in combination of two or more types. Raw materials containing sugars, such as sugar liquid and honey, may also be used. When the fruit wine of the present invention contains sugars, the content thereof can be estimated using the Brix value as an index. The Brix value is preferably 3 to 20, more preferably 5 to 15. The Brix of the beverage may be measured using a known method, for example, a commercially available Brix meter can be used.

The fruit wine of the present invention can contain additives that are typically added to beverages, such as flavorings, vitamins, pigments, coloring agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners (sodium saccharin, potassium acesulfame, etc.), preservatives (sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, etc.), thickeners (glycerin, carrageenan, gum arabic, etc.), organic acids (lactic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, etc.), amino acids (alanine, glycine, glutamic acid, etc.), inorganic salts (calcium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, etc.), extracts, pH adjusters, etc.

(Fruit wine)
In this specification, the term "fruit wine" refers to a fermented beverage obtained by alcoholic fermentation of raw fruit juice by the action of yeast, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as a main raw material. The fermentation raw materials used in the fruit wine of the present invention include grape juice, apple juice, peach juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, mango juice, etc., and these fruit juices may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds. As long as the above definition is satisfied, the fruit wine of the present invention is not limited to a category based on laws such as the Liquor Tax Act, but the scope of the fruit wine of the present invention includes fruit wine, sweet fruit wine, liqueur, and other brewed alcoholic beverages under the Liquor Tax Act of Japan.

The fruit wine of the present invention is preferably wine. Here, in this specification, wine means a fermented beverage produced using grape juice as the main ingredient, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as the main ingredient. Examples of wine include red wine, white wine, and rose wine. In this specification, red wine means a fermented beverage produced using juice squeezed from the entire fruit, including the pulp, skin, and seeds, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as the main ingredient. In addition, in this specification, white wine means a fermented beverage produced using juice squeezed only from the pulp of grapes, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as the main ingredient. Furthermore, in this specification, rose wine means a fermented beverage produced by combining the red wine production method and the white wine production method, or by mixing the red wine and the white wine, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as the main ingredient.

The pH of the fruit wine of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably pH 2.5 to 4.0, and more preferably pH 3.0 to 3.5. The pH of the fruit wine can be adjusted using a pH adjuster. Specific examples of pH adjusters include citric acid, sodium citrate (e.g., trisodium citrate), sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, malic acid, phosphoric acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, etc.

The alcohol content of the fruit wine of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 16 v/v%, more preferably 2 to 14 v/v%, and even more preferably 3 to 12 v/v%. The alcohol content may be adjusted by any known method, such as adjusting the amount of alcohol component added.

The term "alcohol" in this specification means ethanol unless otherwise specified. In this specification, the alcohol content of fruit liquor can be measured by any known method, for example, by a vibration density meter. Specifically, the fruit liquor is distilled over an open flame, the density of the distillate obtained is measured at 15°C, and the alcohol content is calculated by converting it using "Table 2: Alcohol content, density (15°C) and specific gravity (15/15°C) conversion table" which is an appendix to the National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method (National Tax Agency Ordinance No. 6 of 2007, revised June 22, 2007). If the alcohol content is low, less than 1.0%, a commercially available alcohol measuring device or gas chromatography may be used. If the fruit liquor contains carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide gas can be removed by filtration or ultrasonication to prepare a sample for measurement.

The fruit wine of the present invention may contain carbon dioxide gas. For example, carbon dioxide generated during the fermentation process may be dissolved in the fruit wine. Carbon dioxide gas may also be added to the fruit wine using a method generally known to those skilled in the art. Specifically, carbon dioxide may be dissolved in the fruit wine under pressure, carbon dioxide and the fruit wine may be mixed in a pipe using a mixer such as a carbonator, carbon dioxide may be absorbed into the fruit wine by spraying the fruit wine into a tank filled with carbon dioxide, or the fruit wine may be mixed with carbonated water, but is not limited to these methods. Carbon dioxide pressure may also be adjusted using these means as appropriate.

Carbon dioxide pressure can be measured by a known method. For example, it can be measured using a gas volume measuring device GVA-500A manufactured by Kyoto Electronics Manufacturing Co., Ltd. More specifically, the sample temperature is set to 20°C, and the gas in the air inside the container is sniffed and shaken, after which the carbon dioxide pressure is measured in the gas volume measuring device. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the carbon dioxide pressure is measured by this method.

The carbon dioxide pressure of the fruit liquor of the present invention is not particularly limited, but the gas pressure after sniffing of the fruit liquor when the liquid temperature at the time of measurement is 20°C is preferably 0.7 to 3.5 kgf/cm ² , more preferably 0.8 to 2.8 kgf/cm ² , and even more preferably 0.8 to 2.5 kgf/cm ² .

The fruit wine of the present invention can be made into a packaged beverage (packaged fruit wine). Packaging the beverage in a container is preferable because it allows for stable storage over a long period of time. The container for the packaged beverage is not particularly limited, and any commonly used container can be used, such as a metal container, a resin container, a paper container, or a glass container. Specific examples include metal containers such as aluminum cans and steel cans, resin containers such as PET bottles, paper containers such as paper cartons, and glass containers such as glass bottles. Of these, it is preferable to use a glass bottle or a PET bottle, and the fruit wine can be bottled in a glass bottle or a PET bottle.

The fruit wine of the present invention can also be subjected to a sterilization treatment. Sterilization treatments include heat sterilization treatment and non-heat sterilization treatment, of which heat sterilization is preferred. Heat sterilization treatment can be carried out, for example, at 50 to 80°C (preferably 60 to 70°C) for 5 minutes or more (preferably 10 minutes or more). Non-heat sterilization can be, for example, filtration sterilization using a membrane filter or hollow fiber, ultraviolet sterilization, etc. Furthermore, as described above, when the fruit wine of the present invention is made into a bottled beverage, a sterile filling method can be used regardless of whether or not sterilization treatment is performed, and a bottled beverage that has been aseptically filled can be produced.

(Method for producing fruit wine and method for stabilizing fruit wine)
In another aspect, the present invention is a method for producing a fruit wine containing 130 ppm or less sulfurous acid. The method can include a step of soaking oak chips in the fruit wine. The oak chips are as described above, and small pieces of wood called oak are used in the method for producing the fruit wine.

The amount of oak chips used when soaking oak chips in fruit wine is, for example, 1 to 100 g, preferably 2 to 70 g, and more preferably 3 to 50 g per 1 L of fruit wine. The time for soaking the oak chips in the fruit wine is, for example, 1 to 90 days, preferably 2 to 30 days, and more preferably 3 to 21 days. The amount and time for soaking the oak chips in the fruit wine can be set appropriately depending on the type of fruit wine.

While the oak chips are soaked in the fruit wine, they may be left as is, but from the viewpoint of effectively obtaining the exudate from the oak chips, a stirring process is preferably performed. There is no particular limitation on the stirring method, and a method known per se may be used. There is also no particular limitation on the number of times the stirring process is performed, but the stirring process is usually performed 1 to 20 times, preferably 2 to 15 times, and more preferably 3 to 10 times during the soaking period. The stirring process may be performed periodically and continuously during the soaking period, or may be performed intensively only for a certain period of the soaking period. For example, the oak chips may be stirred several times (e.g., 2 to 5 times) immediately after soaking, and stirred only for the first few days (e.g., 2 to 5 days) after starting to leave them. The time interval for the stirring process is also not particularly limited, and the stirring process can be performed at intervals of, for example, 6 to 48 hours, preferably 12 to 36 hours, and more preferably 18 to 30 hours.

After the oak chips have been soaked in the fruit wine, it is preferable to remove the oak chips from the fruit wine in order to prevent the oak chips from leaking out continuously. Methods for removing the oak chips can be known per se, and for example, the oak chips can be removed from the fruit wine by filtration or the like.

In another aspect, the production method of the present invention is a method for producing fruit wine in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less, and includes a step (first step) of soaking oak chips in an alcohol-containing solvent to obtain an oak chip infusion, and a step (second step) of adding the oak chip infusion to the fruit wine. The oak chips are as described above, and small pieces of wood called oak are used in the production method of the present invention.

If an oak chip infusion (oak chip infusion liquid obtained by soaking oak chips in an alcohol-containing solvent) is obtained in the first step described above, only the required amount of it can be used in the second step, so the manufacturing method of the present invention including the first and second steps is preferable for mass production of fruit wine. In addition, the oak chip infusion obtained in the first step can be stored for a long period of time, and fruit wine can be produced while storing the oak chip infusion for a long period of time.

The alcohol-containing solvent in which the oak chips are soaked has an alcohol concentration of, for example, 1 to 50%, preferably 3 to 40%, and more preferably 5 to 20%. As the alcohol, ethanol is particularly preferably used. The alcohol-containing solvent is not particularly limited as long as alcohol is present in the solvent, but fruit wine is particularly preferably used. When fruit wine is used as the alcohol-containing solvent for obtaining the oak chip infusion, the fruit wine may be different from the fruit wine to which the oak chip infusion is added in the second step, but it is preferable that the fruit wine is the same from the viewpoint of efficiently producing the desired fruit wine.

The amount of oak chips to be soaked in the alcohol-containing solvent in the first step can be set appropriately depending on the type of solvent used, for example, 1 to 100 g, preferably 2 to 70 g, and more preferably 3 to 50 g per 1 L of solvent. The time for soaking the oak chips in the alcohol-containing solvent can be set appropriately depending on the type of solvent used, for example, 5 to 40 days, preferably 7 to 30 days, and more preferably 10 to 20 days.

While the oak chips are soaked in the alcohol-containing solvent, they may be left as is, but from the viewpoint of effectively obtaining the leachate from the oak chips, a stirring treatment is preferably performed. There is no particular limitation on the stirring method, and a method known per se may be used. There is also no particular limitation on the number of times the stirring treatment is performed, but usually, the stirring treatment is performed 1 to 20 times, preferably 2 to 15 times, and more preferably 3 to 10 times during the soaking period. The stirring treatment may be performed periodically and continuously during the soaking period, or may be performed intensively only during a certain period of the soaking period. For example, the oak chips may be stirred several times (e.g., 2 to 5 times) immediately after soaking, and stirred only for the first few days (e.g., 2 to 5 days) after starting to leave them. The time interval for the stirring treatment is also not particularly limited, and the stirring treatment can be performed at intervals of, for example, 6 to 48 hours, preferably 12 to 36 hours, and more preferably 18 to 30 hours.

The oak chip soaking liquid can be used as it is as the oak chip exudate obtained in the first step. After the oak chips have been soaked in the alcohol-containing solvent, it is preferable to remove the oak chips from the alcohol-containing solvent in order to prevent the oak chip exudate from leaking out continuously. At this time, the oak chips may be removed from the oak chip soaking liquid by filtration or the like before use, or the oak chip soaking liquid may be extracted with a dropper or the like while the oak chips are still present and used.

The oak chip infusion obtained in the first step can also be added to the fruit wine in the second step. The amount of oak chip infusion added to the fruit wine is not particularly limited as long as the effect of the present invention can be obtained in the fruit wine finally produced, and can be set appropriately. For example, the amount of oak chip infusion added in the second step can be adjusted based on the amount of a predetermined component in the fruit wine finally produced. As a specific example, the amount of vanillin contained in the oak chip infusion solution obtained in the first step can be measured in advance, and the amount of oak chip infusion (i.e., oak chip infusion solution) added can be set so that the vanillin content in the fruit wine finally produced is 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm, preferably 0.0005 to 0.1 ppm, and more preferably 0.001 to 0.05 ppm. Also, although not particularly limited, the amount of oak chip infusion added in the second step can be, for example, 0.0001 to 10 v/v%, preferably 0.0005 to 5 v/v%, and more preferably 0.0006 to 1 v/v% per 1 L of the final fruit wine produced.

The fruit liquor used in the manufacturing method of the present invention including the above-mentioned two aspects can be obtained by a method known to those skilled in the art. For example, fruit juice obtained from fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, grapefruit, pineapples, mangoes, etc. can be used as a fermentation raw material by adding sugars such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc. and organic acids such as tartaric acid, citric acid, malic acid, etc., to the juice, which is then inoculated with yeast such as Saccharomyces and fermented into alcohol by the usual method, followed by subsequent removal of the lees, storage, aging, filtration, etc. to obtain the fruit liquor.

The manufacturing method of the present invention can include a step of adding the various components described in this specification and a step of adjusting the content to a predetermined range. For example, the manufacturing method of the present invention can include a step of adjusting the vanillin content to 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm, preferably 0.0005 to 0.1 ppm, and more preferably 0.001 to 0.05 ppm. The vanillin content is as described above.

The manufacturing method of the present invention may also include a step of incorporating reconstituted fruit juice from concentrate into the raw material for the fruit wine. That is, the manufacturing method of the present invention may include a step of fermenting reconstituted fruit juice from concentrate as a raw material (a step of fermenting reconstituted fruit juice from concentrate). As explained above, reconstituted fruit juice from concentrate is also incorporated into the fruit wine using reconstituted fruit juice as a fermentation raw material, which is expected to improve the stability of quality and may also enable a stronger sense of the fruitiness and mellow aroma.

The fruit wine obtained by the production method of the present invention is as explained above with respect to fruit wine. That is, the fruit wine obtained by the production method of the present invention is preferably wine. Furthermore, the amount of sulfurous acid added to the fruit wine obtained by the production method of the present invention is 130 ppm or less, and the sulfurous acid is also as explained above. In addition, the production method of the present invention can also include a step of incorporating carbon dioxide gas and a step of adjusting the pH of the fruit wine, in accordance with the above explanation. The various steps may be performed in any order, as long as the content and ratio in the final fruit wine obtained are within the required range.

The manufacturing method of the present invention can also include steps related to packaging, such as filling a container with fruit wine, sterilizing the fruit wine, and packaging the wine, in order to obtain bottled fruit wine. The conditions and materials used in the various steps related to packaging are as described above for fruit wine, and for example, a sterile filling method is preferably used in the packaging step of fruit wine.

The method for producing fruit wine of the present invention can stabilize fruit wine to which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less. Therefore, in another aspect, the production method is a method for stabilizing fruit wine to which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less.

(Numerical range)
For clarity, numerical ranges expressed herein by limits and parameters, i.e., "from a lower limit to an upper limit," are inclusive of the lower and upper limits. For example, a range expressed by "from 1 to 2" includes 1 and 2.

The present invention will be described in detail below by way of experimental examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Base fruit liqueur)
Red grape concentrated juice without sulfite and white grape concentrated juice without sulfite were used. Each concentrated juice was diluted with water to a sugar content of 20.7%. Then, diammonium hydrogen phosphate and yeast were added and fermented. After fermentation, the yeast was removed to obtain a base fruit wine. The alcohol content of the base fruit wine was 12 v/v%.

(Oak chip infused fruit wine)
Oak chips were soaked in the base fruit wine obtained as described above. Oak chips with a size of 2 mm or more were used. The amount of oak chips used for soaking was 30 g per 1 L of base fruit wine. After soaking the oak chips in the base fruit wine, the mixture was stirred three times and stored for 14 days. During the first three days of storage, the mixture was stirred every 24 hours. After storage, the oak chips were removed using a net to produce oak chip-soaked fruit wine (oak chip-soaked wine).

(Sample fruit wine)
The oak chip infused fruit wine obtained as described above was added to the base fruit wine to prepare a sample fruit wine (sample wine). The amount of the oak chip infused fruit wine added was 0.2 L (0.02%), 3 L (0.3%), or 30 L (3%) per 1 kL of the sample fruit wine. The alcohol content of each sample fruit wine was 12 v/v%.

(Analysis of Vanillin)
The vanillin content of the oak chip soaked fruit wine produced as described above was measured by an external analysis agency, the Japan Food Analysis Center. As a result, the vanillin content in the oak chip soaked fruit wine was 0.007 g/kg. Since the density of both the oak chip soaked fruit wine and the base fruit wine is approximately 1.0 g/mL, the vanillin contents of the sample fruit wines to which 0.02%, 0.3%, and 30 L (3%) of oak chip soaked fruit wine were added as described above were calculated to be 0.0014 ppm, 0.021 ppm, and 0.21 ppm, respectively.

Test Example 1. Evaluation of flavor by sulfurous acid addition For each sample fruit wine (sample wine), one without added sulfurous acid (0 ppm) and one with added potassium pyrosulfite so that the amount of added sulfurous acid was 40 ppm, 80 ppm, or 120 ppm were prepared, and a sensory evaluation test was performed. In the sensory evaluation test, two panelists tasted the samples and performed a sensory evaluation on the following criteria (1 to 5 points in 0.1 point increments) for "wine-like fruitiness,""mellowaroma," and "overall evaluation of deliciousness," and calculated the average of the evaluation scores (ratings). When the "wine-like fruitiness,""mellowaroma," and "overall evaluation of deliciousness" were all 2 points or more, the passing score was determined. In addition, the panelists used samples that served as evaluation standards for each evaluation item to confirm the relationship between the evaluation contents such as wineiness and the corresponding scores, and the scores were made as common as possible before the sensory evaluation test was performed.

<Wine-like fruit flavor>
5 points: Very strong 4 points: Very strong 3 points: Strong 2 points: Somewhat strong 1 point: Not strong

＜Rich aroma＞
5 points: Very strong 4 points: Very strong 3 points: Strong 2 points: Somewhat strong 1 point: Not strong

<Overall evaluation>
5 points: Very tasty 4 points: Very tasty 3 points: Tasty 2 points: Fairly tasty 1 point: Not tasty

The results are shown in the table below.

As shown above, both "wine-like fruit flavor" and "rich aroma" received the highest scores when no sulfite was added, and the scores decreased as the amount of sulfite added increased. It was confirmed that the same tendency was observed even when the amount of oak chip-soaked fruit wine added was increased. Furthermore, the impression given by the panelists was that the addition of sulfite made the gentle flavor and natural wine-like aroma monotonous, and that as the amount of sulfite added increased, the flavor became more unnatural and monotonous. These results suggest that the effects of wine-like fruit flavor and rich aroma can be fully achieved by reducing the amount of sulfite added, and preferably by adding no sulfite at all.

Test Example 2. Evaluation of stability (color change) Each sample fruit wine was filled into a container to make a bottled fruit wine, and then a stability test was performed under a condition of 37°C. Before being left standing (0 days) and after being left standing for 24 days, the absorbance of each sample fruit wine was measured at wavelengths of 525 nm and 420 nm, and the ratio of each absorbance (525 nm/420 nm) was calculated to examine the color ratio. The red sample wine was diluted 5 times with ion-exchanged water, and the white sample wine was not diluted, and the red sample wine was prepared as a measurement sample. The samples were filtered with a membrane filter (Millipore), and the absorbance at each wavelength was measured using a spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-1700). The results are shown below.

The results shown above suggest that by adding oak chip-soaked fruit wine to the base fruit wine, the decrease in the absorbance ratio (525 nm/420 nm) during storage is less, which suggests that deterioration in terms of color change is suppressed and stability is improved compared to when no additives are added.

Claims (4)

The method for producing wine without the addition of sulfurous acid includes a step of soaking oak chips in wine having an alcohol concentration of 5 to 20 v/v% to obtain an oak chip soak , and a step of adding the oak chip soak obtained by the above step to wine . 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wine in which the oak chips are soaked is different from the wine to which the oak chip soak liquid is added. The method according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising a step of adjusting the vanillin content to 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a step of incorporating reconstituted fruit juice from concentrate into the raw material for the wine .