Innovative Applications of High Hydrostatic Pressure in Winemaking

ABSTRACT Wine industry faces, today, great challenges, including the production of wines with low SO 2 content, the reduction of winemaking times, or the elaboration of wines with own distinctive characteristics, among others. To assess the potential and opportunities that high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) offers to meet these challenges, an exhaustive bibliographical review has been carried out to compile the scientific studies performed so far on this subject. The studies consulted reveal that high‐pressure processing could be applied at various stages of the winemaking process with different objectives, including reducing the microbial load, accelerating solid–liquid extraction processes, or enhancing chemical changes in wine composition. This would make it possible to reduce SO 2 levels, shorten vinification times by speeding up certain stages such as must maceration or wine aging, and apply new biotechnologies for wine fermentation capable of producing wines with unique organoleptic profiles. However, the potential of HHP for winemaking has not yet been fully explored, and, thus, based on the observed effects of HHP in food matrices other than wine, this review identifies new opportunities with potential interest. Finally, difficulties associated with HHP implementation in the wine industry are also evaluated to give a rough idea of its industrial feasibility. This review should encourage further research to optimize high‐pressure‐based solutions capable of addressing current challenges of the wine industry.