Aromatic Evolution of Red Wine Aged in Oak Vats and Barrels. Relationship between Volatile Compounds and Sensory Analysis

Background and goals In recent years, some wineries have started to use wooden vats again for fermentation and/or for the storage of wines because they have attractive advantages for wine quality; for example, the use of wooden vats for alcoholic and malolactic fermentation of red wines may enhance the varietal characteristics and increase the complexity of the wine. The goal of this work was to study the evolution of the volatile compounds during the aging of red wine in oak vats compared to oak barrels, and the correlation of volatile compounds with sensory characteristics after 12 months of aging.

Methods and key findings The red wines were produced according to the usual winemaking process in the winery and aged for 12 months in new untoasted wooden vats, new barrels, one-year-old barrels, and two-year-old barrels for two consecutive vintages. Volatile composition and sensory analyses were carried out.

Conclusions and significance The wines aged in new barrels had a greater loss of ethyl esters and acetates of alcohols, while those aged in vats maintained slightly higher concentrations of these compounds which are responsible for fruity and floral aromas. A strong correlation was found between the sensory data and the volatile composition of the wines aged for 12 months, clearly distinguishing the wines aged in vats from those aged in barrels. These wines were well discriminated by projective mapping sensory analysis, which is an effective and simple tool to differentiate wines.