Journal
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
Volume 12, Issue 19, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/app121910055
Keywords
blending; wine spirit; ageing; oak wood; chestnut wood; chemical composition; colour; sensory profile; innovation; sustainability
Categories
Funding
- European Union [CENTRO-04-3928FEDER-000028]
- FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology [UIDB/05183/2020, UIDB/00239/2020]
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This study aimed to develop a new technology, natural blending, for wine spirits blending, and results showed that there were no significant differences in physicochemical characteristics and sensory profile between natural blending and traditional blending technologies, indicating that natural blending is a reliable alternative without changing the characteristics imparted by different ageing technologies.
The blending of wine spirits (WSs) produced in different ageing conditions is a key operation to impart specific features, enhance complexity, increase the final product's quality and ensure brand consistency over the years, but requires time, labour and experienced blenders. This work aimed to develop a novel technology, natural blending, towards innovation and a more sustainable production process, adding value to the final product. WSs were aged in 250 L barrels and in 1000 L stainless steel tanks with wood staves and micro-oxygenation (MOX), using Limousin oak and chestnut wood simultaneously at a 50:50 ratio (natural blending) and separately; after 18 months of ageing, the last ones underwent the blending operation at the same ratio. All WSs were bottled and thereafter the following traits were analysed: alcoholic strength, acidity, dry extract, total phenolic index, low molecular weight compounds by HPLC method, chromatic characteristics and sensory profile. No significant differences in the physicochemical characteristics and sensory profile between the WSs resulting from the two blending technologies were found. Natural blending did not induce changes in the characteristics imparted by each ageing technology. These findings point to natural blending as a reliable alternative to the blending operation, especially in combination with ageing in tanks with staves and MOX.
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