Evaluation of Aroma Compounds in the Process of Wine Ageing with Oak Chips.

Georgiana-Diana Dumitriu Gabur,Carmen Teodosiu,Iulian Gabur,Nieves López De Lerma,Valeriu V Cotea,Rafael A Peinado

doi:10.3390/foods8120662

Abstract

Many modern alcoholic beverages are subjected to ageing processes during which compounds extracted from wood contribute decisively to the overall beverage character. Wines represent a perfect example of beverage in which ageing is a crucial technological manufacturing step. During winemaking, producers accelerate chemical changes in wine composition by traditional and alternative methods, such as the use of oak wood barrels and/or oak wood chips. Our research aimed to investigate the overall volatile composition and sensory quality of red wines aged for two timeframes, namely, 1.5 and 3 months, and with two technological variants, i.e., American and French oak wood chips. Red grapes from the Fetească neagră (Vitis vinifera) variety were harvested from a vineyard in the North-East region of Romania. Stir bar sorptive extraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (SBSE–GC–MS) was used to extract minor aromas present in wine samples. The results showed clear differences between wines treated with American and French oak chips. Furthermore, ageing for 3 months increased the concentration of cis-whiskey lactone and guaiacol in American oak-treated wine samples. For wines aged with French oak chips, we observed higher concentrations of furfural, 5-methylfurfural, 4-vinylguaiacol, and trans-whiskey lactone. The increased presence of chemical compounds in wine aged with French oak chips generated prominent smoky, licorice, and toasty aromas, whereas in wines aged with American oak chips, notes of vanilla, toasty, and cacao aromas were noticed. Moreover, red wines aged with American and French oak chips were discriminated by chemometric analysis, which confirmed the evolution of aroma compounds.

Highlights

The ageing process, in traditional oak wood barrels or by using modern/alternative oak wood chips, plays an indispensable role in the manufacturing of high-quality and typical red wines
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of different types of oak chips, dosages, and ageing times on wine composition by using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in combination with analyte enrichment techniques, such as Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE)
The main oenological parameters of wines treated with American and French oak chips after 1.5 and 3 months presented the usual values, consistent with those expected for Fetească neagră red wines from the North-East Romania region [2]

Summary

Introduction

The ageing process, in traditional oak wood barrels or by using modern/alternative oak wood chips, plays an indispensable role in the manufacturing of high-quality and typical red wines. Even if there are over 150 different species of oaks ranked in the genus Quercus, in winemaking, only three are mostly used for wine ageing [1]. These are the American white oak (Quercus alba) and two European oaks, the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), commonly known as the French oaks. Since wine ageing in barrels is expensive and requires long time periods, the utilization of oak chips is a valid alternative for reducing production costs and accelerating wood-flavored winemaking.

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