Evaluation of Volatile Compounds during Ageing with Oak Chips and Oak Barrel of Muscat Ottonel Wine

Anamaria Călugăr,Emese Gal,Teodora Emilia Coldea,Carmen Rodica Pop,Tiberia Ioana Pop,Mihail Manolache,Claudiu Ioan Bunea,Anca Cristina Babeș

doi:10.3390/pr8081000

Anamaria Călugăr, Emese Gal + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8081000

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Abstract

The aim of this work was to compare the variations of alcohols compounds in white wine Muscat Ottonel variety aged in the presence of untoasted oak chips, toasted oak chips and untoasted barrel, considering three ageing periods—30, 60, and 90 days. The liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry were used to compare the concentrations of the volatile constituents of Muscat Ottonel wines. A total of 51 volatile compounds were quantified. Alcohols, terpenic and carboxylic acids decreased with ageing time, whereas esters, lactones, and phenolic compounds increased due esterification processes. The chips toast level, method, and duration of ageing, significantly influenced the content of aromatic compounds. Partial least squares regression (PLS-R) clearly discriminated the initial wine and also the wines aged with toasted and untoasted medium. The compounds (alcohols and terpenes) that impart distinctive aroma of Muscat Ottonel were enhanced by untoasted medium. Light toasted oak chips enhanced wood volatile components (acetovanillone and p-vinyl guaiacol). This study provides important scientific results on the ageing of Muscat Ottonel wines with practical economic benefits to winemakers. Alternative less expensive ageing methods and improved control on the wood components extraction process, may contribute to obtaining high-quality wines.

Highlights

With beer and wine ranking top consumer preferences [1], the past few years determined the wine strategy orientation, mostly on wine quality, with a focus on market expectations and its continuous diversification [2]
Muscat Ottonel white grapes were obtained from the Lechinta Vineyard, a Romanian winemaking region, at their optimal ripening stage (215 g/L sugar, 5.21 g/L expressed as sulphuric acid and 90 g weight of 100 berries), in 2017
In Romania, Muscat Ottonel variety is cultivated on the surface of 5547 ha (5.95% from total vineyard surface) mainly in Transylvania (Central Romania), Moldavia (Eastern Romania), and Dobrogea (South-Eastern Romania) [22]

Summary

Introduction

With beer and wine ranking top consumer preferences [1], the past few years determined the wine strategy orientation, mostly on wine quality, with a focus on market expectations and its continuous diversification [2]. Consumers with higher wine knowledge like and consume more specific wine assortments, proving the importance of tailoring producers marketing to specific demographic groups [4]. Considering the economic point of view, the two practices—wood barrels versus wooden chips using—consist of extremely different costs, especially when exclusive new barrels are used [7], reflected in the final price of the product. It is worth mentioning the advantage of wood fragments use, considering it as a sustainable procedure, for both economic and environmental perspectives [8]. Even though many studies focused lately the quality impact of chestnut, oak, acacia, ash, cherry, or fig wooden fragments and barrels on aged wine and distilled beverages [6,9,10,11,12,13], the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) regulates the using only oak and chestnut wooden chips for the ageing of these beverages

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