Improvement of Verdejo white wines by contact with oak chips at different winemaking stages

Abstract The effect that the addition of wood at different stages of the winemaking process has on the volatile composition and sensory characteristics of Verdejo wines has been studied. Verdejo control wine was made by the traditional winemaking process without oak chips. Oak chips (7 g/L) were added at different stages of the winemaking process: during alcoholic fermentation (OCAF) and in the young wine (OCW). Higher alcohols, ethyl acetate, hexyl acetate, isoamyl acetates and ethyl esters of straight-chain fatty acids were present at higher concentrations in wines that had contact with oak chips during alcoholic fermentation when compared to control wines. The highest concentrations of benzene compounds, oak lactones and furanic compounds were found in both wines in contact with oak chips, particularly in CW samples. Different sensorial profiles were obtained for the wines depending on the stage of the winemaking process at which the chips were added. All wines investigated in this study can provide a viable alternative to traditional Verdejo wines.