Impact of operating conditions during bottling and of technical cork permeability on the oxygen content and evolution of bottled Sauvignon blanc wine

An experimental study conducted on a Sauvignon blanc wine showed that poor bottling conditions (high dissolved oxygen content, corking with no vacuum and no inert gas) have significantly greater impact than the cork permeability on total oxygen during the early months and hence on losses of free SO2 and also on wine color and sensorial properties. During the first period following bottling, the kinetics of apparent oxygen consumption is a first order reaction. Under the usual conditions of wine storage, the greatest losses of free SO2 take place during the first 15-30 days as they are correlated positively with the total oxygen trapped during bottling and released via the cork. The decrease in the concentration of free SO2 is then smaller as it is related to cork permeability.