Chemistry and Technology of Wine Aging with Oak Chips

The use of wood chips is a common winemaking practice that has been permitted in Europe since the early 2000s. The use of oak chips, or other wood alternative products, has not always been favorably viewed by both producers and wine consumers. Beyond possible misuse, however, wood chips are a useful tool for the optimal achievement of numerous oenological objectives, including the extraction of certain volatile odor compounds from oak wood chips as well as compounds that will improve wine quality. This chapter deals with the main oenological uses of oak wood chips, the chemical transformations that underlie this practice and the effect of their utilization on wine quality. A final aspect concerns the main compositional and sensory differences between wines aged in barrel and those aged with alternative products, as well as the discriminative analytical methods used for this purpose.

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

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods8120662 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 662 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Georgiana-Diana Dumitriu (Gabur) ◽

Carmen Teodosiu ◽

Iulian Gabur ◽

Valeriu V. Cotea ◽

Rafael A. Peinado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aroma Compounds ◽

Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction ◽

Wood Chips ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Red Wines ◽

Oak Wood ◽

Oak Chips ◽

North East ◽

The North

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.

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Impact of cherry, acacia and oak chips on red wine phenolic parameters and sensory profile

OENO One ◽

10.20870/oeno-one.2017.51.4.1832 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 329 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Mariana Tavares ◽

António M. Jordão ◽

Jorge M. Ricardo-da-Silva

Keyword(s):

Red Wine ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Practical Interest ◽

Wood Chip ◽

Wood Chips ◽

Sensory Profile ◽

Wine Quality ◽

Oak Chips ◽

Aging Period ◽

The Impact

Aim: The evolution of global phenolic parameters and the sensory profile of a Portuguese red wine aged for 90 days in contact with wood chips from different species were evaluated.Methods and results: For this purpose, wood chips from cherry (Prunus avium), acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) and two oak species (Quercus petraea and Quercus pyrenaica) were added to a Portuguese red wine. Various global phenolic parameters of red wines were studied during the aging process (90 storage days). In addition, a sensory analysis was made after the 90-day aging period to determine the impact of the use of different wood chip species on red wine sensory profile. The results showed that during the aging period, only a few differences were detected between the wines. However, after 90 aging days, in general the wines aged in contact with cherry wood tended to have the lowest values for several phenolic parameters. For sensory parameters, the wine aged in contact with French oak chips showed significantly higher scores for several aroma descriptors, while for visual and taste descriptors no statistical significant differences were found between the wines.Conclusion: At the concentration used (3 g wood chips/L wine), the different wood chip species studied had no clear influence on the evolution of the majority of the red wine phenolic parameters. However, from a sensory point of view, the use of different wood species induced greater differentiation, especially for aroma descriptors.Significance and impact of the study: The outcomes of this study would be of practical interest to winemakers and regulatory institutions since they could improve the knowledge of the impact of alternative wood chip species, namely acacia and cherry, on red wine quality.

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The relationship between musty-odor-causing organisms and water quality in Lake Biwa

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0426 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 31 (11) ◽

pp. 153-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Kajino ◽

K. Sakamoto

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Data Analysis ◽

Green Algae ◽

Analytical Methods ◽

Lake Biwa ◽

Blue Green Algae ◽

Odor Compounds ◽

Musty Odor ◽

The Relationship

Musty odor has occurred annually in Lake Biwa since 1969. Osaka municipal waterworks, which is located downstream of Lake Biwa, has made many efforts to treat musty-odor compounds produced in Lake Biwa from spring through autumn. With the development of analytical methods for the determination of musty-odor compounds, we have been able to confirm that planktonic blue-green algae are the major causes of the musty-odor occurrences. The relationship between the growth of blue-green algae and the water quality was not so apparent. However, through our data analysis focusing on the relationship between musty-odor occurrences due to Phormidium tenue or Oscillatoria tenuis and some nutrients in Lake Biwa, we found that the concentration of nitrate in water may be an important parameter for the estimation of growth of the algae and the musty-odor behavior.

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Advances in Wine Aging Technologies for Enhancing Wine Quality and Accelerating Wine Aging Process

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition ◽

10.1080/10408398.2011.609949 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 54 (6) ◽

pp. 817-835 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

Yang Tao ◽

Juan Francisco García ◽

Da-Wen Sun

Keyword(s):

Aging Process ◽

Wine Quality ◽

Wine Aging

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Influence of oak wood chips–grape mix maceration on the extraction of anthocyanins from low-extractable anthocyanin content red grapes

European Food Research and Technology ◽

10.1007/s00217-017-2999-7 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 244 (4) ◽

pp. 729-734 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Berta Baca-Bocanegra ◽

Julio Nogales-Bueno ◽

Francisco José Heredia ◽

José Miguel Hernández-Hierro

Keyword(s):

Wood Chips ◽

Anthocyanin Content ◽

Oak Wood ◽

Red Grapes

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Fast Pyrolysis of Spent Coffee Waste and Oak Wood Chips in a Micro-tubular Reactor

Energy Sources Part A Recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects ◽

10.1080/15567036.2011.608779 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 37 (11) ◽

pp. 1186-1194 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

T.-A. Ngo ◽

J. Kim ◽

S.-S. Kim

Keyword(s):

Fast Pyrolysis ◽

Tubular Reactor ◽

Wood Chips ◽

Oak Wood ◽

Coffee Waste

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Ellagitannins from Portuguese oak wood (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) used in cooperage: influence of geographical origin, coarseness of the grain and toasting level

Holzforschung ◽

10.1515/hf.2007.028 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 155-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

António Manuel Jordão ◽

Jorge Manuel Ricardo-da-Silva ◽

Olga Laureano

Keyword(s):

Heat Treatment ◽

Ellagic Acid ◽

Acid Content ◽

Geographical Origin ◽

The Other ◽

Wood Chips ◽

Quercus Pyrenaica ◽

Oak Wood ◽

Different Origins

Abstract The ellagitannins and ellagic acid from extracts of Portuguese oak wood chips (Quercus pyrenaica) used in cooperage from different origins (Gerês and Guarda forests) were analysed by HPLC. The results were compared with the ellagitannin content of wood chips obtained from American (Q. alba) and French (Q. petraea) oak. The influence of heat treatment and the coarseness of the grain on ellagitannins and ellagic acid were also studied. Five ellagitannins (vescalagin, castalagin, roburin D, roburin E and grandinin) and ellagic acid were quantified. Vescalagin and castalagin were the most abundant individual ellagitannins in all of the oak wood chips studied. Portuguese oak wood had the highest content of ellagitannins and ellagic acid, followed by the French and American oaks. The geographical origin of Portuguese oak and the coarseness of the grain of French oak affected the content of ellagitannins and ellagic acid. In general, the ellagitannin content decreased with the toasting process, while the ellagic acid content increased. The toasting process had the highest impact on ellagitannin composition in comparison to the other variables studied.

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