Influence of Oak Chips and Oak Barrel Ageing on Volatile Profile in Chardonnay Wine of Romania

Diana Ionela Stegăruș,Teodora Emilia Coldea,Andrea Bunea,Adriana Muscă,Mihail Manolache,Emese Gál,Corneliu Tanase,Claudiu Bunea,Oana Romina Botoran,Anamaria Călugăr,Anca Cristina Babeș

doi:10.3390/app11083691

Abstract

The influence of the addition of oak chips and barrel ageing on basic wine parameters and volatile compounds of Chardonnay wines has been studied. Chardonnay wines were obtained by the traditional wine-making process. Oak chips (4 g/L—non-toasted and light toasted) were added at the final stage of the winemaking process for ageing 1, 2 and 3 months, respectively. Also, the control wine was aged in non-toasted barrels for the same period of time. Following Liquid-liquid extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, alcohols, esters, fatty acids, lactones, and phenolic compounds were identified and quantified. The light toasted wine was clearly separated by phenolic compounds (vanillin, p-vinyl guaiacol and acetovanillone). The floral aroma supplied by 2-phenylethanol was slowly increased by ageing with odor activity values (OAV) higher in aged samples than control wine (1.07). The vanilla scent could be easily perceived in all aged samples, mainly for light toasted chip-treated samples with OAV values between 2.30 and 2.37. After 3 months, the volatile compounds of wine from non-toasted medium (chips and barrels) were almost similar from the volatile profile point of view. This could have economic and vinification management implications since oak barrels are expensive and the wine oak barrel aging is a long process. All wines studied in this research can provide a viable alternative to young varietal wines.

Highlights

The quality of a wine depends mainly on its chemical composition and on the expectation of the consumer
The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of two types of French oak chips and non-toasted Romanian oak barrel, during short ageing periods on Chardonnay white wine composition by using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS)
This work is the first study on volatile compounds of young and short matured Chardonnay wines from Romania

Summary

Introduction

The quality of a wine depends mainly on its chemical composition and on the expectation of the consumer. Each type of consumer will define wine quality differently depending on their expectations and needs [1]. Two tendencies exist for Chardonnay aroma profiles: fruity and light styles and flavored and complex styles [3] These styles are targeted by current market trends and popularity of wines. Wines can be aged in oak (barrel or chips) and stored after bottling for different periods of time, depending on the desired style [4]. The use of alternative vessels to oak barrels during winemaking has become increasingly popular, but little is known about their impact on the chemical composition of the resulting wines [12]

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