Comparison of physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of omija wines made by different methods

Physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of omija wines made by traditional method, adding grape juice and sugar solution periodically, and with dry omija were compared. The pH values of all omija wines were ranged 2~3 during fermentation. The acidity value of omija wine made by traditional method was 2.5%, that of omija wine made by adding grape juice and sugar solution periodically decreased from 3.3% to 0.8%, and that of omija wine made with dry omija increased from 0.2% to 3.9%. Sucrose and alcohol contents were 6.5~34.5^oBrix and 12% at the end of fermentation, respectively. The viable cell numbers of yeast decreased from 5.7~6.9 log CFU/mL to 4.3~4.6 log CFU/mL. Omija wine made by adding grape juice and sugar solution periodically had the highest sensory scores for color, taste, flavor, swallowing, and overall acceptability, and was significantly different from the both omija wines made by traditional method and with dry omija. Because omija is rarely fermented due to the little fermentative sugar content, omija wine made by adding grape juice and sugar solution periodically was shown to be the most appropriate.