Micro-oxygenation strategy depends on origin and size of oak chips or staves during accelerated red wine aging

The practice of wine aging in stainless steel tank involves storing wine in contact with wood and dosing it with small oxygen quantities in order to obtain a final wine more stable in time and with the same characteristics of barrel-aged wines. Oxygen dosing is a key factor and, to achieve a correct development of wine, needs to be applied according to wine necessities and to the kind of wood chosen. This paper shows the results obtained from the study of oxygen required by a same wine aged in tanks with different alternative products (chips and staves) made of American (Q alba), French (Q. petraea) and Spanish oak (Q. pyrenaica), with a strategy of micro-oxygenation as required. The results indicate that the size and origin of the wood used determine the oxygen management during the process. In fact, wine treated with big pieces (staves) consumes more oxygen and, with regard to wood origin, wine aged with French oak (Q. petraea) products needs of a higher oxygen dosage. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.