The development of esters in filtered and unfiltered wines that have been aged in oak barrels

Abstract

SummaryEsters are quite important for the aroma of aged red wine as they contribute to the fruity complex nature of this wine. This research paper measured the development of esters during maturation of Merlot red wines. These wines had different amounts of turbidity. The wine was aged for 18 months either after filtration with diatomaceous earth or without filtration. Both American and French oak barrel were used for storage. The results obtained showed that the unfiltered wine had a greater concentration of esters at the end of the storage period than the filtered wine. Fatty acid and ethanol esters decreased more than isoamyl acetate, independently of filtration. Ethyl octanoate and ethyl decanoate decreased both in filtered and unfiltered wine. Isoamyl acetate was formed in unfiltered wine and ethyl butyrate and ethyl hexanoate decreased in filtered wine while they remained constant in unfiltered wine.