Chemical content and sensory changes of Oloroso Sherry wine when aged with four different wood types

Oloroso Sherry Wine is a fortified Sherry wine obtained by oxidation and ageing in American oak barrels of 500 L-600 L. In this work, the study of the suitability of other types of woods for the ageing of these wines was carried out. To compare the characteristics of the alternative woods, an oloroso wine was aged in four groups of 16 L barrels made of French oak, Spanish oak, chestnut, as well as American oak as control, with intense and medium toasting. Phenolic and furanic compounds, organic acids, volatile compounds, color characteristics, total poly-phenol index and sensory analysis of wines aged for two months were analyzed. The results confirmed that the aged samples could be differentiated on the basis of their chemical composition, and that the use of alternative woods to age oloroso Sherry wines, and the level of wood toasting, had the potential to provide products with specific differences to the traditional aged in American oak. Furthermore, the organoleptic characteristics of these alternative wines were valued above a standard Sherry wine.

Automated summary

The study explored the use of alternative woods for ageing Oloroso Sherry wines, confirming that the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of the aged samples differed from those aged in American oak. The results suggest that using different types of woods and levels of toasting could provide specific differences in products compared to traditional ageing in American oak.