Effect of the aging on lees and other alternative techniques on the low molecular weight phenols of Tempranillo red wine aged in oak barrels

The effect of different alternative techniques to the traditional aging on lees on the low molecular weight phenolic compounds of red wines was study as well as their evolution during the aging in oak wood barrels for six months. The study was carried out with Tempranillo red grapes from two consecutive vintages. The techniques assayed were the traditional aging on lees with or without the addition of exogenous beta-glucanase enzymes, the use of yeast derivative preparations also with or without the addition of exogenous beta-glucanase enzymes, the micro-oxygenation applied together with the aging on lees, and the use of non-toasted oak wood chips. Hydroxycinnamic acids were the compounds most affected by these treatments, mainly in the wines treated with chips and commercial yeast derivative products, which showed higher concentrations of the free acids, compounds that play an important role in wine stabilization color since they can act as anthocyanin copigments. The differences found between the assayed treatments were more important in the 2007 vintage than in the 2008. However, a more significant effect of micro-oxygenation in the 2008 vintage was observed, which could be related to the fact that in this vintage the treatment was longer. In the 2008 vintage, the differences between treatments decreased along the aging in barrel. This vintage effect could be associated to the differences in the phenolic concentration of the initial wines. In this sense more research should be done to corroborate this fact. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.