The topic wine and wood is closely linked to the identity of the product. Today the market has a more open and available approach than in the past with regard to wood and refinement in wood, thanks to all that science, technique and research have been able to propose to ensure a more appropriate use of wood.
In accordance with the goal of Enoforum to present the most innovative developments and the most avant-garde elements of research, this round table, led by Fabio Piccoli, managing director of Winemeridian, analyses the most recent discoveries on aging in the presence of wood (alternative containers or management) from a scientific, technical and application point of view.
The talk by Professor Michel Moutonet, of the University of Montpellier, deals with one of the most recent discoveries: the quercotriterpenosides, substances present in wood that participate in the perception of “sucrosite” after refinement and which also have a masking effect of the bitter note originated from other substances. He then analyses the importance of micro-oxygenation in the refinement with wood in tanks, the appropriate moment for its application and the reactions that take place. Finally, he explains why the use of wood during the storage of white and red wines in steel allows to limit the formation of reduction odours, thus improving the aromatic frankness of wines.
Lastly, Giacomo Mazzavillani brings the experience of a large group like Caviro about the use of new infusion technologies and in particular of Enotimatic, responding to some very topical questions: the usefulness of using alternative woods to barriques, not only as maquillage of unpleasant wines but also to develop new international markets, the critical issues in the cellar at the time of dosing and customizing the boisè notes, the possibilities offered by the managing systems for the infusions of alternative woods, by automation, by oxygen dosage for containing costs and developing more rapidly new styles of wine requested by the market.
On the website www.enotimatic.com a review prepared by prof. Moutounet is available and can be consulted online, where the most authoritative international articles on the subject have been reproduced, which represents a very useful technical and operational contribution for those working within this sector.
The round table reproduced in this video was presented at the 12th edition of Enoforum (Vicenza, 21-23 May 2019) within the module organized in collaboration with Ever.
