Isabel Revilla · Maria Luisa González-SanJosé

Effect of different oak woods on aged wine color and anthocyanin composition

Abstract The influence of different parameters related to oak wood casks such as origin
(American and French oak) or age (new and old) on the phenolic composition and color of
wood-aged wines were studied. Special attention was paid to the effects of the different types
of oak cask on the levels of the anthocyanin derivatives formed during the aging of red wines.
Anthoycanin monoglucosides and their derivatives, such as pyruvic derivatives, vitisin B and
malvidin-catechin derivatives were evaluated. In addition, the relationship between these new
anthocyanin compounds in the wines and the stability of wine color parameters was analyzed.
The results obtained indicate that the origin or variety of the oak together with the specific
practices of each coopery, in addition to the age of the cask, do play a key role in the formation
of “new pigments” (anthocyanin derivatives). In addition, the wines with greatest quantities of
new pigments are also those with the best chromatic qualities.

Introduction

Wine is a product that undergoes many different changes during aging in wood and storage in
bottles. One of the altered parameters during aging is the color, which is a very important
sensory characteristic of red wine. The important role played by anthocyanins in determining
the color of red wine is well known. The reactions of anthocyanin with other wine components
alter the sensory attributes of wine [1]. These reactions include different oxidation,
condensation and polymerization processes, usually resulting in changes from bluish to orange
tones. Such alterations are produced during both wood aging and storage, but are more
intense during oxidative aging than during aging in the bottle, which is a reducing medium [2,
3, 4]. The types and concentrations of the polyphenols depend on grape variety, climatic
conditions, grape ripening and the techniques employed in the winemaking process [5, 6 7, 8,
9], but also depend on the species and origin of the wood, and the time of extraction of the
phenolic compounds from the wood [10]. The influence of different oak woods on the phenolic
composition and color of crianza wines (wines aged in wood for 1 year) and the relationship
between color variables and the anthocyanin and flavonol compounds have been
demonstrated [3, 11, 12]. However, at the moment, there has been no work concerning the
effects of oak wood and the different types of oak cask on the levels of the anthocyanin
derivatives formed during the aging of red wines, such as anthoycanin pyruvic derivatives,
vitisin B and malvidin-catechin derivatives [13, 14 15]. In the present study the influence of
type of oak cask on the formation of anthocyanin derivatives was studied. Additionally, the
relationship between these new anthocyanin compounds in the wines and the stability of wine
color parameters was analyzed.

Results and discussion

Due to the fact that each type and variety of oak, American or French, could give the wine
different compounds [18, 19], three types of French oak casks and one American were used.
To study the influence of the type of wood grain, the American oak casks used were of two
types of grain: traditional or thick grain and fine grain wood. All of these casks were from the
same coopery (number 4). In order consider the effect of the manufacture procedure of the
casks, which affects its capacity to yield phenolic compounds to wine or distilled beverages [20,
21], casks of the same type of wood (Am) and grain (c) but made in four different cooperies
were used. Another important parameter related to the wine aging process, is the age of the
cask. It is well known that new casks give wine important levels of phenolic compounds and
this transfer of compounds is very quick. However, when old or used casks are used the
extraction of phenolic compounds is slower, and the final levels of extracted phenols are lower
[22, 23]. In consideration of this fact, new (n) and old (o) (used at least 2 years) casks were
used. It was not possible to get new casks made from Allier and Nevers oak. Finally 14 types of
cask were employed during the aging of the wine. The codes are summarized in Table 1.

Color characteristics

Analysis of the chromatic data obtained indicates that the final wines have very diverse
chromatic characteristics (Table 2), reaching levels of variation coefficient of up to 52%, as is
the case with intensity. These data highlight the important influence that the type of wood
used has during the aging process on the evolution of the color, giving wines with very variable
chromatic intensities. It also influences the maintenance of the purple tones (%Bl) so
characteristic of Ribera del Duero wines [11]. A previous, similar study carried out on wines
aged for 9 months in casks [24] produced similar results, although, obviously, with
quantitatively less difference between wines due to the fact that the storage or aging time was
shorter.

A thorough study of the chromatic parameters seems to suggest that there are some common
patterns. It appears that in general, when a wine has aged in old barrels it has lower intensities
than when it is aged in new barrels, and in certain cases higher tonalities, indicating a greater
degree of oxidation or modification of the color, were found. It is observed that casks made by
different cooperies of the same type of wood produce different wines and that these
differences do not disappear with the cask used (o or n). This can be clearly appreciated in the
intensity and tonality of the wines from coopery 2, which have the minimum intensity and the
maximum tonality. The influence of the type of grain does not seem to be very important if the
wood is new (Am-t-4n, Am-f-4n), but if the cask has been used before then this parameter
does have an important influence (Am-t-4o, Am-f-4o), both on intensity and on tonality. The
influence of the type of oak seems to depend also on the age of the casks. When these have
been used before, the fine grain American oak (Am-f-4o), the Limusin (L-4o) and the Allier (Al-
4o) give wines with fairly similar chromaticity, low intensity and high tonality. On the other
hand, Nevers (N-4o) and thick grain American (Am-t) give more similar wines, characterized by
their greater intensity, being less oxidized with lower tonality. This effect was not observed in
new casks, in which the Limusin gave wines of a much lower intensity than the two American
oaks, although they did not as a result have higher tonalities. If one looks at all the chromatic
parameters considered jointly, one can get an idea of the final visual quality of the wines.
Summarizing the data commented on previously, it can be stated that the worst chromatic
quality was for the wines from coopery 2 (Am-t-2n and Am-t-2o), together with the wine aged
in Allier oak and American old fine grain casks (Am-f-4o). Next came the Limusin oak (low
intensity but not much tonality, as already stated). On the other hand, the wine aged in French
Nevers oak, despite being a used cask, showed good chromatic characteristics, with the
highest intensity values and %Bl, together with low tonality values. The wines aged in thick
grain American oak from cooperies 3 and 4 also showed good chromatic characteristics, as did
the wine from coopery 1 aged in new casks and the wine aged in fine grain American.

Anthocyanin composition
 With regard to the anthocyanin content, big differences can be seen, despite the fact that the
free monomeric anthocyanin content is already very low, as the wines have been aged for a
long time. In general, lower quantities of monoglucosyl anthocyanins are observed in those
wines aged in old casks. However, these wines have higher values of free acyl anthocyanins
(Fig. 1). In general, the wines with the greatest quantities of total free monomeric
anthocyanins coincide with those commented upon already which had higher intensities, as is
clear in the case of the wine in Nevers oak.

With regard to condensed anthocyanins (Fig. 2a–c) or newly formed anthocyanins, these were
formed in large quantities during aging in wood (Fig. 3a,b,c). It is difficult to establish a clear
influence of the type of wood on these compounds. With regard to the pyruvic derivatives, the
old woods from cooperies 3 and 4 produced greater quantities (Fig. 3a). However, the situation
of wine aged in an old cask from coopery 1 was the opposite and the results were similar in
wines aged in casks from coopery 2. As for the origin of the oak, it seems that the Limusin and
Allier oak favor the formation of these pigments less than the Nevers and the American woods.
The high level of these compounds in wine aged in French Nevers oak casks is noteworthy.
Similar results were obtained for vitisin B (Fig. 3b) and the malvidin-catechin derivatives, (Fig.
3c), some wines having markedly low levels, most of them aged in used casks. Again the wine
aged in Nevers oak (N-4o), together with the wines aged in casks from cooperies 3 and 4 have
the highest levels of these pigments. Bearing in mind that the initial levels of anthocyanins
were the same in all the wines, because the original wine was the same in all cases, the greater
or lesser formation of new anthocyanins is due only to the effect of the wood. It seems
therefore, that the origin or variety of the oak, together with the specific practices of each
coopery, in addition to the age of the cask, do play a key role in the formation of these new
pigments. Furthermore, since the wines with greatest quantities of new pigments are also
those with the best chromatic qualities, it seems that there is a clear and direct relationship
between these compounds and the chromatic quality of the wine. These pigments stabilize the
color, avoiding loss of intensity and big increases in tonality. In conclusion, the type of wood in
which the wine is aged will influence its final chromatic characteristics. These characteristics
correlate with the formation of new condensation anthocyanin pigments. In this case, the
wines aged in French Nevers casks had by far the best chromatic quality.