Development and Quality Evaluation of Mixed Wine Production Process of Aronia melanocarpa and Shine-Muscat

In order to improve the aroma and flavor of the Aronia melanocarpa wine, parameters including blending ratios and maceration times of the blending process of Shine-Muscat grapes and Aronia melanocarpa were explored based on the functional compounds content and antioxidant activity. The sensory quality of the blended wines was further evaluated based on intelligent sensory combined with panel sensory evaluation. The Shine-Muscat blend significantly increased the soluble solids content of the matrix and enhanced the fermentation rate. The 9:1 blend and 3-day maceration had the fastest fermentation. A pattern of increase with blending ratio was demonstrated by the total phenol, condensed tannin and anthocyanin content while the blended 9:1 had the highest contents. The 4-day maceration had the highest total phenol (2.72 g/L) and total anthocyanin content (378.15 mg/L). Quinic acid was the main organic acid in the wines. However, the proportions of major organic acids showed large differences in groups of different blending ratios. The blended 7:3 group had the highest total organic acid content but the lowest malic acid content. Proanthocyanidin B1 and gentisuric acid had relatively higher monomeric phenols contents among different blending ratio groups. The antioxidant capacity of the 3-day maceration group was significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05). The characteristics of the E-nose sensor response values of different groups could be clearly distinguished by linear discrimination analysis (LDA). The 9:1 and 7:3 blend ratio groups and the 3-day maceration group were better in color parameters. The results of the sensory tasting showed that the 7:3 blend ratio and the 3-day maceration had better sensory scores. Based on the above indicators, the 9:1 blend and 4-day maceration had the highest scores obtained from the principal component analysis (PCA). In conclusion, while retaining the advantages of single-brewed Aronia melanocarpa wines, the blending fermentation improves the sensory characteristics of the wines and the quality of fruit wine has been greatly enhanced.