Oak wood extracts applied to the grapevine. An alternative to obtain quality Garnacha wines

Stomata in leaves regulate gas interchange and transpiration in the grapevine and through these pores both the penetration of aqueous solutions with nutrients as well as the excretion of products take place. The aim of this work was to study the influence of spraying the vineyard with toasted and untoasted oak extracts on the volatile composition and on the organoleptic quality of wine made from Garnacha grapes. The results were compared with a Garnacha control wine obtained with grapes sprayed with distilled water. The absorption of the compounds from the oak wood extracts was irregular and some of these compounds were modified by the yeast during fermentation so as to prevent fermentation problems. This was observed particularly in the case of furfural which were transformed into furfuryl alcohol by yeast in order to avoid irreversible cellular damage. On applying a discriminant analysis to the concentration of volatile compounds in the wines, the three treatments (control, toasted and untoasted oak extracts) were differentiate. The wine obtained from grapes treated with toasted oak extract showed a more intense wood aroma after 18months of bottle aging than the other wines. Likewise, spicy aromas were found to be more intense in the samples treated with some type of oak wood extracts.