Influence of oak wood on the chemical and organoleptic profile of white wines

Abstract

The use of oak wood in various forms for the production of white wines has become an increasingly popular practice among winemakers. As a result of extraction, condensation and other processes, their chemical composition and sensory profile were modified. Phenolic compounds and volatile aromatic substances passed from the wood to the wine improving the aroma and taste and enhancing its antioxidant activity. Their quantity has depended on the botanical type and origin of the wood and the method of its heat treatment. In the production of white wines several technologies have been applied - conducting the alcoholic fermentation and aging on lees in barrels, completing the fermentation in tanks and racking the wine to the barrels, starting the fermentation in tanks but in the middle of the process racking the fermenting juice to the barrels. Into the wine, of phenols mainly passed gallotannins and ellagitannins and of aromatic substances – eugenol, isoeugenol, vanillin, furan derivatives, lactones, etc. Further to the use of barrels, the application of alternative oak forms has become more and more popular, which in the case of white wines allowed avoiding the volatile components oxidation. The result was a quality product with better technological properties. The wines acquired hints of wood without losing their freshness and fruity character.