Fruit wine containing oak chip infusion

Abstract

To provide a fruit wine that has a reduced amount of addition of sulfurous acid, the fruit wine having improved storage stability.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a fruit wine with an amount of addition of sulfurous acid being 130 ppm or less, the fruit wine containing oak chip exudate.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fruit wine containing an oak chip infusion, and more particularly to a fruit wine containing an oak chip infusion and having an extremely small amount of added sulfite. [Background technology]

[0002] With the recent rise in health consciousness and naturalness, interest in food additives such as preservatives and coloring agents has been growing. Although attempts have been made to reduce or eliminate such food additives in various foods and beverages, it is not easy to eliminate food additives that contribute to stable quality in foods and beverages that need to remain in the distribution channel for a certain period after production in order to meet the quality standards that satisfy consumers.

[0003] In general, sulfurous acid is used as a typical food additive for stabilizing fruit liquors such as wine on the market. Sulfurous acid is sometimes used during various production processes, such as when crushing the fruit that is the raw material for fruit liquor and during alcoholic fermentation, but it is often added after the production of fruit liquor and before bottling. This is to prevent quality deterioration over a long period of time as the fruit liquor travels through the market.

[0004] However, as mentioned above, in recent years, the incorporation of food additives that act as quality stabilizers often gives a negative impression to general consumers. From this perspective, fruit liquors that do not contain sulfite have been developed, and methods used for this include reducing the amount of acetaldehyde produced, which produces an unpleasant odor when combined with sulfite, and preventing the fruit liquor from coming into contact with the outside air as much as possible during the brewing and bottling processes. In addition, previous reports have disclosed a technology that allows the production of high-quality sulfite-free fruit liquor by incorporating 500 ppm or more of proanthocyanidin (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-51791 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a fruit wine containing a reduced amount of sulfurous acid and having improved storage stability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present inventors conducted extensive research to solve the above problems and found that the oak chips infused into fruit wine significantly improved the storage stability of the fruit wine containing less sulfurous acid. Based on this knowledge, the present inventors have completed the present invention.

[0008] The present invention relates to, but is not limited to, the following: (1) Fruit wine containing oak chip infusion and containing no more than 130 ppm of added sulfite. (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), which contains 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, the method including the steps of soaking oak chips in an alcohol-containing solvent to obtain an oak chip infusion, and adding the oak chip infusion to a fruit wine, the method including the steps of: adding 130 ppm or less of sulfurous acid to the fruit wine; (7) The method according to (5) or (6), 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), further comprising a step of adding concentrated reconstituted fruit juice to a 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, the method including adding 130 ppm or less of sulfurous acid. (11) A method for stabilizing fruit wine, 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, the method including the steps of adding 130 ppm or less of sulfurous acid 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. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, even if the amount of sulfurous acid added is small or no sulfurous acid is added, it is possible to provide a fruit wine having effectively improved storage stability. This makes it possible to distribute fruit wine with reduced or no food additives related to quality stabilization in the market for a long period of time, and also to increase consumer satisfaction.

[0010] In addition, the inventors have found in their research that the presence of sulfurous acid prevents the fruit flavor inherent in fruit liquor and significantly impairs the mellow aroma derived from 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 fruit flavor inherent in fruit liquor and to fully exhibit the mellow aroma imparted to the fruit liquor by the oak chips. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] One aspect of the present invention is a fruit wine containing oak chip infusion and having 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).

[0012] (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 family Fagaceae 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.

[0013] 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 their usage history is not particularly limited. Since the present invention utilizes the exudate 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.

[0014] 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%, 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.

[0015] The oak chip exudate can be obtained by soaking the oak chips in a liquid. The amount of oak chips to be soaked in the liquid can be appropriately set according to the type of liquid used, for example, 1 to 100g, preferably 2 to 70g, more preferably 3 to 50g per 1L of liquid. The time for soaking the oak chips is, for example, 1 to 90 days, preferably 2 to 30 days, more preferably 3 to 21 days, and can also be appropriately set according to the type of liquid used.

[0016] 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.

[0017] (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).

[0018] 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 hydrogen sulfite, 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).

[0019] In the process of producing fruit wine, sulfurous acid may be used when crushing the fruit that is the raw material for the fruit wine or during alcoholic fermentation, or may be produced by yeast during alcoholic fermentation. In such cases, a small amount of sulfurous acid will still be present in the fruit wine after production. Therefore, in the fruit wine of the present invention, the amount of sulfurous acid added is as described above, and the sulfurous acid content in the fruit wine is 150 ppm or less, preferably 100 ppm or less, and more preferably 50 ppm or less.

[0020] In the fruit wine of the present invention, sulfurous acid is converted into bisulfite ions (HSO3 - ), sulfite ion (SO3 2- Sulfite can exist in free forms, including sulfur dioxide (H2SO3) and sulfurous acid (H2SO3), or in bound forms bound to carbonyl compounds such as acetaldehyde. In this specification, the total value of these free and bound sulfites is defined as the sulfite content in 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 will be performed using the Rankine method.

[0021] (vanillin) The fruit wine of the present invention may contain vanillin. Vanillin is a compound represented by the chemical formula C8H8O3, and is known as a main 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).

[0022] 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.

[0023] (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.

[0024] 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, ultraviolet sterilization, etc. Examples of heat sterilization include high-temperature sterilization at 100°C or higher and low-temperature sterilization at less than 100°C.

[0025] When using concentrated reconstituted fruit juice, the concentrated fruit juice is usually diluted with water or the like, but it can be adjusted and diluted so that the fruit juice ratio is at least 50%, preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 80%, and particularly preferably 100% relative to the original fruit juice (fruit juice before concentration). That is, when concentrated fruit juice that is 10 times concentrated is used, for example, it can be adjusted to have a fruit juice ratio of 100% relative to the original fruit juice (fruit juice before concentration) by diluting it 10 times.

[0026] (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 is preferably derived from oak chip exudate.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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. Raw materials containing sugars, such as sugar solution 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.

[0029] The fruit wine of the present invention can contain additives that are usually added to beverages, such as flavorings, vitamins, pigments, coloring agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners (sodium saccharin, acesulfame potassium, 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.

[0030] (Fruit wine) In this specification, fruit wine means 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 material used for the fruit wine of the present invention includes 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 it satisfies the above definition, 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.

[0031] The fruit wine of the present invention is preferably wine. Here, in this specification, wine means a fermented beverage produced using grape juice as a main ingredient, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as a main ingredient. Examples of wine include red wine, white wine, and rosé wine. In this specification, red wine means a fermented beverage produced using juice squeezed from the entire fruit including grape pulp, skin, and seeds as a main ingredient, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as a main ingredient. In addition, in this specification, white wine means a fermented beverage produced using juice squeezed only from grape pulp as a main ingredient, and a beverage containing such a fermented beverage as a main ingredient. Furthermore, in this specification, rosé 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 a main ingredient.

[0032] The pH of the fruit wine of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably pH 2.5 to 4.0, more preferably pH 3.0 to 3.5. The pH of the fruit wine can be adjusted using a pH adjuster. Specific examples of the pH adjuster include citric acid, sodium citrate (e.g., trisodium citrate), sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, malic acid, phosphoric acid, gluconic acid, and succinic acid.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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 type density meter. Specifically, the fruit liquor is distilled over a direct flame, the density of the distillate obtained is measured at 15°C, and the alcohol content is calculated by converting it using "Table 2: Conversion table of alcohol content, density (15°C) and specific gravity (15 / 15°C)" which is an appendix to the National Tax Agency Specified Analysis Method (National Tax Agency Instruction No. 6 of 2007, revised June 22, 2007). When the alcohol content is low, less than 1.0%, a commercially available alcohol measuring device or gas chromatography may be used. When the fruit liquor contains carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide gas can be removed by filtration or ultrasonic waves to prepare a sample for measurement.

[0035] 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. Carbon dioxide pressure may also be adjusted using these means appropriately.

[0036] The 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 in the container is degassed (sniffed) in the gas volume measuring device, shaken, and then the carbon dioxide pressure is measured. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the carbon dioxide pressure is measured by this method.

[0037] The carbon dioxide pressure of the fruit wine of the present invention is not particularly limited, but the gas pressure after sniffing the fruit wine when the liquid temperature at the time of measurement is 20° C. is preferably 0.7 to 3.5 kgf / cm2 , more preferably 0.8 to 2.8 kgf / cm 2 , and even more preferably 0.8 to 2.5 kgf / cm 2 It is.

[0038] 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 stable storage for a long period of time. The container for the packaged beverage is not particularly limited, and any commonly used container such as a metal container, a resin container, a paper container, or a glass container can be used. Specific examples include metal containers such as aluminum cans and steel cans, resin containers such as PET bottles, paper containers such as paper packs, and glass containers such as glass bottles. Among 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.

[0039] The fruit wine of the present invention may also be subjected to a sterilization treatment. Examples of sterilization treatment include heat sterilization treatment and non-heat sterilization treatment, and among these, 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). Examples of non-heat sterilization include filtration sterilization using a membrane filter or hollow fiber, and ultraviolet sterilization. As described above, when the fruit wine of the present invention is made into a bottled beverage, an aseptic filling method can be used regardless of whether or not it is sterilized, and it can be made into a bottled beverage that is aseptically filled.

[0040] (Method for producing fruit wine and method for stabilizing fruit wine) Another aspect of the present invention is a method for producing fruit wine in which the amount of sulfurous acid added is 130 ppm or less. The method for producing the present invention can include a step of soaking oak chips in fruit wine. The oak chips are as described above, and small pieces of wood called oak wood are used in the method for producing the present invention.

[0041] 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 appropriately set depending on the type of fruit wine.

[0042] While the oak chips are soaked in the fruit wine, they may be left as they are, but from the viewpoint of effectively obtaining the exudate from the oak chips, a stirring treatment is preferably performed. The stirring method is not particularly limited, and a method known per se is used. The number of times the stirring treatment is performed is not particularly limited, but the stirring treatment 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 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 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.

[0043] After the oak chips are 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 continuously leaking out. As a method for removing the oak chips, a method known per se can be used, for example, filtration can be used to remove the oak chips from the fruit wine.

[0044] In another aspect, the production method of the present invention is a method for producing a 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 leachate, and a step (second step) of adding the oak chip leachate to the fruit wine. The oak chips are as described above, and small pieces of wood called oak wood are used in the production method of the present invention.

[0045] If an oak chip infusion (an oak chip infusion solution obtained by infusing oak chips in an alcohol-containing solvent) is obtained in the above-mentioned first step, only the required amount of the infusion 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.

[0046] 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 percolate, the fruit wine may be different from the fruit wine to which the oak chip percolate 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.

[0047] The amount of oak chips to be immersed in the alcohol-containing solvent in the first step can be appropriately set according to the type of solvent used, for example, 1 to 100 g, preferably 2 to 70 g, more preferably 3 to 50 g per 1 L of solvent. The time for immersing the oak chips in the alcohol-containing solvent is, for example, 5 to 40 days, preferably 7 to 30 days, more preferably 10 to 20 days, and can also be appropriately set according to the type of solvent used.

[0048] While the oak chips are soaked in the alcohol-containing solvent, they may be left as they are, but from the viewpoint of effectively obtaining the exudate from the oak chips, a stirring treatment is preferably performed. The stirring method is not particularly limited, and a method known per se is used. The number of times the stirring treatment is performed is not particularly limited, 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 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.

[0049] As the oak chip leaching product obtained in the first step, the oak chip soaking solution can be used as it is. After the oak chip leaching process in the alcohol-containing solvent, it is preferable to remove the oak chip from the alcohol-containing solvent in order to prevent the oak chip leaching product from continuously leaking out. At this time, the oak chip soaking solution may be used after removing the oak chips by filtration or the like, or the oak chip soaking solution may be used by extracting it with a dropper or the like while the oak chips are still present.

[0050] The oak chip infusion obtained in the first step can also be added to the fruit wine in the second step. The amount of the 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 appropriately set. For example, the amount of the 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 obtained in the first step is measured in advance, and the amount of the oak chip infusion (i.e., the oak chip infusion) 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. Furthermore, 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.

[0051] The fruit liquor used in the production 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, grapefruits, pineapples, mangoes, etc. may be optionally mixed with sugars such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc. and organic acids such as tartaric acid, citric acid, malic acid, etc. to prepare a fermentation raw material, which is inoculated with yeast such as Saccharomyces and subjected to alcoholic fermentation by a conventional method, and then the fruit liquor can be obtained by removing the lees, storing, aging, filtering, etc.

[0052] The production method of the present invention may include a step of adding various components described in the present specification and a step of adjusting the content to a predetermined range. For example, the production method of the present invention may include a step of adjusting the vanillin content to 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm, preferably 0.0005 to 0.1 ppm, more preferably 0.001 to 0.05 ppm. The vanillin content is as described above.

[0053] The production method of the present invention can also include a step of adding concentrated reconstituted fruit juice to the raw material of the fruit wine. That is, the production method of the present invention can also include a step of fermenting the concentrated reconstituted fruit juice as a raw material (a step of fermenting the concentrated reconstituted fruit juice). As described above, the concentrated reconstituted fruit juice is also used as a fermentation raw material and added to the fruit wine, which is expected to improve the quality stability and may allow the fruitiness and mellow aroma to be felt more strongly.

[0054] The fruit wine obtained by the production method of the present invention is as explained above as fruit wine. That is, the fruit wine obtained by the production method of the present invention is preferably wine. 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, as explained above. The various steps may be performed in any order, as long as the content and ratio in the finally obtained fruit wine are within the required range.

[0055] The production 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 fruit wine, in order to obtain a bottled fruit wine. The conditions and materials used in the various steps related to packaging are as described above for the fruit wine, and for example, a sterile filling method is preferably used in the step of filling the fruit wine.

[0056] The method for producing fruit wine of the present invention can stabilize fruit wine containing 130 ppm or less of added sulfurous acid. Therefore, in another aspect, the method for producing fruit wine is a method for stabilizing fruit wine containing 130 ppm or less of added sulfurous acid.

[0057] (Numerical range) For clarity, any numerical range expressed herein by a lower limit and an upper limit, i.e., "from the lower limit to the upper limit," is inclusive of the lower limit and the upper limit. For example, a range expressed by "1 to 2" includes 1 and 2. EXAMPLES

[0058] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to experimental examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It's not something like that.

[0059] (Base fruit wine) Red grape concentrate juice without the addition of sulfite and white grape concentrate juice without the addition of sulfite were used. Each concentrate juice was diluted with water so that the sugar content was 20.7%. Then, diammonium hydrogen phosphate and yeast were added and fermentation was carried out. After fermentation, the yeast was removed to make a base fruit wine. The alcohol content of the base fruit wine was 12v / v%.

[0060] (Oak chip infused fruit wine) Oak chips were soaked in the base fruit liquor 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 liquor. After soaking the oak chips in the base fruit liquor, 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 liquor (oak chip-soaked wine).

[0061] (Sample fruit wine) The oak chip infused fruit wine obtained as described above was added to the base fruit wine to prepare sample fruit wines (sample wines). The amount of oak chip infused fruit wine added was 0.2L (0.02%), 3L (0.3%), or 30L (3%) per 1kL of sample fruit wine. The alcohol content of each sample fruit wine was 12v / v%.

[0062] (Vanillin Analysis) The vanillin content of the oak chip soaked fruit wine produced as described above was measured by an external analysis agency, the Japan Food Research Laboratories. As a result, the vanillin content of the oak chip soaked fruit wine was 0.007g / kg. Since the density of both the oak chip soaked fruit wine and the base fruit wine is approximately 1.0g / mL, the vanillin content of the sample fruit wines to which 0.02%, 0.3%, and 30L (3%) of oak chip soaked fruit wine had been added was calculated to be 0.0014ppm, 0.021ppm, and 0.21ppm, respectively.

[0063] Test Example 1. Evaluation of flavor with added sulfite For each sample fruit wine (sample wine), a sample without added sulfite (0 ppm) and a sample with added potassium pyrosulfite so that the amount of added sulfite was 40 ppm, 80 ppm, or 120 ppm were prepared, and a sensory evaluation test was conducted. 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," "mellow aroma," and "overall evaluation of deliciousness," and calculated the average of the evaluation scores (ratings). A score of 2 or more for each of "wine-like fruitiness," "mellow aroma," and "overall evaluation of deliciousness" was considered to be a passing grade. 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 wine-likeness and the corresponding scores, and conducted the sensory evaluation test after making the scores as common as possible.

[0064] <Wine-like fruit flavor> 5 points: Very strong 4 points: Very effective 3 points: Demonstrated 2 points: Somewhat effective 1 point: Not demonstrated

[0065] <Rich aroma> 5 points: Very strong 4 points: Very effective 3 points: Demonstrated 2 points: Somewhat effective 1 point: Not demonstrated

[0066] <Overall rating> 5 points: Very tasty 4 points: Very tasty 3 points: Delicious 2 points: Somewhat tasty 1 point: Not tasty

[0067] The results are shown in the table below.

[0068] [Table 1]

[0069] As shown above, both "wine-like fruit flavor" and "mellow aroma" were scored highest 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 increased. In addition, the impression received by the panelists was that the addition of sulfite made the gentle taste and natural wine-like aroma monotonous, and that as the amount of sulfite added increased, the unnatural taste increased and the aroma became monotonous. The above results suggest that the effects of wine-like fruit flavor and mellow aroma can be fully exerted by reducing the amount of sulfite added, and particularly preferably by not adding any sulfite.

[0070] 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 shelf stability test was conducted at 37°C. The absorbance of each sample fruit wine was measured at wavelengths of 525nm and 420nm before leaving it (day 0) and after 24 days of leaving it, and the ratio of each absorbance (525nm / 420nm) was calculated to examine the color tone 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 through a membrane filter (Millipore), and the absorbance at each wavelength was measured using a spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-1700). The results are shown below.

[0071] [Table 2]

[0072] 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) due to storage is reduced, suggesting that deterioration in color change is suppressed and stability is improved compared to when no additives are added.

Claims

1. 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.

2. 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 soaking liquid is added.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a step of adjusting the vanillin content to 0.0001 to 0.5 ppm.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a step of incorporating concentrated reconstituted fruit juice into the wine raw material.

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