Abstract
Wood is one of the most highly valued materials in enology since the chemical composition and sensorial properties of wine change significantly when in contact with it. The need for wood in cooperage and the concern of enologists in their search for new materials to endow their wines with a special personality has generated interest in the use of other Quercus genus materials different from the traditional ones (Q. petraea, Q. robur and Q. alba) and even other wood genera. Thereby, species from same genera such as Q. pyrenaica Willd., Q. faginea Lam., Q. humboldtti Bonpl., Q. oocarpa Liebm., Q. stellata Wangenh, Q. frainetto Ten., Q. lyrata Walt., Q. bicolor Willd. and other genera such as Castanea sativa Mill. (chestnut), Robinia pseudoacacia L. (false acacia), Prunus avium L. and P. cereaus L. (cherry), Fraxinus excelsior L. (European ash) and F. americana L. (American ash) have been studied with the aim of discovering whether they could be a new reservoir of wood for cooperage. This review aims to summarize the characterization of tannin and low molecular weight phenol compositions of these alternative woods for enology in their different cooperage stages and compare them to traditional oak woods, as both are essential to proposing their use in cooperage for aging wine.
Highlights
Among oak woods, the most traditional Quercus genus species for wine aging are Q. alba, found on the USA east coast, and Q. petraea and Q. robur in the forests of France
The aim of this review was to recapitulate and compare the composition in tannins and in low molecular weight phenol compounds of woods different from those traditionally used in enology (Q. alba, Q. petraea and Q. robur) in each of the different stages of cooperage
In contrast the total concentration in Q. oocarpa is 39.3 mg/g, similar to that found in Q. petraea and Q. alba, consisting of monomer ellagitannins, similar to those found in Q. alba by the same author [24]
Summary
The most traditional Quercus genus species for wine aging are Q. alba, found on the USA east coast (the so-called American oak), and Q. petraea and Q. robur in the forests of France (the so-called French oak). The use and/or study of alternative oaks (rather than the traditional ones) has been suggested as a solution to the search for new sources of quality wood for cooperage in order to conserve current areas and seek out woods which contribute distinct notes valued by the consumer In this scenario, a market opportunity has opened up for oak species not traditionally used in cooperage such as Q. faginea, Q. pyrenaica, Q. farnetto, Q. oocarpa and Q. humboldtii. Whereas ellagitannins are the most abundant components in oak, there are others with different chemical structures such as low molecular weight polyphenols (LMWP) and volatile compounds Some of these compounds are the source of many of the interesting organoleptic characteristics found in aged wines and their presence encourages enologists to adopt this practice. The aim of this review was to recapitulate and compare the composition in tannins and in low molecular weight phenol compounds of woods different from those traditionally used in enology (Q. alba, Q. petraea and Q. robur) in each of the different stages of cooperage (fresh wood, after seasoning and after toasting)
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