Changes in the volatile composition of red wines during aging in oak barrels due to microoxygenation treatment applied before malolactic fermentation

Abstract

Microoxygenation is a wine-making technique consisting in the addition of small and controlled amounts of oxygen. This study has examined the effect of this technique on the volatile composition of two red single variety wines during two successive vintages. The microoxygenation treatment was applied at the end of alcoholic fermentation and before beginning malolactic fermentation. Once the microoxygenation treatment had finished, wines were aged in new American oak barrels for 12 months. The results obtained showed that the microoxygenation treatment did not cause significant changes in the varietal and fermentation volatile compounds, however microoxygenation slowed down the extraction of some of the volatile compounds extracted from wood. A varietal and vintage effect was also observed for some of the compounds studied.