Differentiation of barrel-aged wines according to their origin, variety, storage time and enological parameters using fermentation products

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to study the presence of fermentation products in quality Spanish wines aged in oak barrels. Two hundred and forty Spanish wines aged in barrels were analyzed and statistically treated for differentiation according to their origin, variety, storage time, and enological parameters. The results showed that the alcoholic degree of wines increased with ageing time, and geographical areas could also be differentiated by the alcoholic degree. Moreover, we observed a higher alcoholic degree in wines from the area with the lowest annual rainfall, regardless of storage time. A relation was also observed between the content of fermentation products of wines and the alcoholic degree and total acidity, although the varietal factor and ageing time modulate the concentration of these compounds. Thus, wines elaborated with Cabernet Sauvignon presented the highest concentrations of esters, while those with Cencibel had the highest concentrations of fatty acids. Wines that were aged the longest in barrels had higher concentrations of ethyl esters of organic acids, so they can be considered markers of ageing.