Sparkling wines are produced by a secondary fermentation of a base wine followed by a prolonged ageing in contact with lees. In the traditional method, the refermentation takes place in the same bottle used for market distribution. The autolysis of yeasts occurs during the ageing of sparkling wines, thus causing the release of many parietal and cytoplasmic compounds which have a great influence on sparkling wine's quality. The modern technologies for the production of sparkling wine are very different from the one developed by Abbot Dom Pierre Pérignon in the 17th century. Over the years, many advances have been made, this paper aims at reviewing the recent knowledge in the application of biotechnologies for the improvement of sparkling wine's quality, in particular the factors affecting foaming properties and sensory qualities. Future perspectives and trends are also considered.
Keywords: Autolysis process; Autophagy; Enzymatic preparations; Foaming properties; Sparkling wine; Yeast strain selection.
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