Generally speaking, the various grape varieties tested can be distinguished quite easily, with a highly variable resistance to oxidation according to the following gradation:

1) Syrah grapes with a high glutathione content,

2) Sauvignon grapes, less rich in glutathione but better balanced in ascorbic acid,

3) Cinsault and Chardonnay grapes with average glutathione and ascorbic acid levels, but also lower levels of oxidisable substrates,

4) Grenache and Caladoc grapes, which have low levels of all the compounds tested and are therefore particularly sensitive to oxidation.

With regard to the impact of viticultural and harvesting conditions on the oxidation potential of the grape varieties tested:

1) For all the grape varieties tested (with the exception of Grenache), the oxidative potential increased with the harvest date: 7 days before harvest, all the grapes tested had higher natural antioxidant levels than at harvest,

2) For all the varieties tested, the "Irrigated" or "Fertilised" methods, or their combinations, seem to give the grapes better protection against oxidation, within the limits of the response specific to each variety.

During ageing in non-inert or poorly inert vats, the wine becomes enriched with oxygen when it comes into contact with the air. Dissolution kinetics, when static, without any turbulence, increase with temperature. At 21°C, this means that ageing for three months in a 200 hl vat with a poorly inert chimney can bring in around 1 to 2 mg/l of oxygen. This oxygen will be consumed by the wine, so no increase in dissolved O2 can be detected. Dissolutions can be increased in the presence of convection movements linked to a thermal differential between the temperature of the cellar and the temperature of the wine.