THE INFLUENCE OF THE USE OF WOOD CHIPS BEFORE AND AFTER ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION ON THE SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF WINE

The aim of this work was to study the influence of wood chips on the sensory characteristics of young Chardonnay, Riesling and Cortese wines, and on those of Chardonnay wines aged for 2-3 years. In wines with chips, the colour was more intense and the greenish hue less perceptible than in controls. Floral and fruity descriptors were scored lower. These aromas were partially replaced by boisé, vanilla and wood characters. Chips caused an increase in structure, persistence (Chardonnay) and softness; differences in the results were apparent according to the wine and the vintage. In Chardonnay, ageing on lees further modified the chips effect, particularly the colour and aroma of young wines. The timing of chip addition, before or after alcoholic fermentation (after alcoholic fermentation, the amount added was smaller) did not influence the sensory characteristics of young wines. On the contrary, after two years of ageing in bottle, the wine with chips added after alcoholic fermentation was favoured and was significantly different from the control because it was more structured and smooth and showed enhanced aromatic complexity. According to these results, we advise the addition of chips to wine after alcoholic fermentation. At this time, in fact, it is also possible to make trials to choose the optimal amount of chips to add and plan additions at more than one time. Lastly, experiments with the utilization of chips in Barbera winemaking are reported. A flavouring effect (wood aroma) due to the addition of chips during fermentation was observed. An influence on colour stabilization was only observed in wines from the 1999 vintage. We advise you to consult the complete article. Original title: Influenza sulle caratteristiche sensoriali dei vini dell'impiego di scagliette di legno ("chips") durante e dopo la fermentazione alcolica Source: Rivista di Viticoltura e di Enologia, Conegliano Italy, 2004, 57 (3) 33-62