Phenolic Compounds in Two Hungarian Red Wines Matured in Quercus robur and Quercus petrea Barrels: HPLC Analysis and Diode Array Detection

Abstract

Two typical Hungarian red wines, Egri bikavér and Cabernet franc, were aged for six months in Hungarian Quercus robur L. and Quercus petrea L. barrels; additionally, Egri bikavér was aged in barrels of French (Nevers) Q. petrea. During the aging period, the qualitative and quantitative changes in the phenolic composition were determined using HPLC separation and photodiode array detection. The following compounds were identified from the extracts of natural and toasted stave wood chips and from the wines: gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, caffeic, coumaric, ellagic acids and vanillin, syringaldehyde, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde, and 5-methyl-2-furaldehyde. In the maturation process of barrique wines, two major compounds, ellagic and gallic acids, appeared to play important roles as their concentrations increased with time and depended on the type of wine and species of wood.