Volatile composition and sensory characteristics of Chardonnay wines treated with American and Hungarian oak chips

Toasted or non-toasted chips of oak woods of different geographical provenances were macerated in Chardonnay wines (4 g/l) during a period of 25 days. Oak lactones were detected in significant quantities in wines treated with American oak. Only trace amounts of oak lactones were detected in the wines treated with Hungarian oak. Toasting of the oaks increased the quantities of the compounds derived from the thermal degradation of lignin: vanillin, eugenol, guaiacol and its derivatives and the pyrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose: furfural and 5-methyl furfural, and decreased the concentrations of the two isomers of oak lactones. The concentrations of the majority of the volatile compounds did not present statistically significant differences between 15 and 25 days. However, the wines preferred by the tasters and with maximum intensity of the sensory attributes acquired were those treated with oak chips for 25 days. Chemical and sensorial analyses of wines revealed that the effect of the toasting of oak chips on wine characteristics was greater than the type of oak used. All wines studied were positively evaluated by the panellists.