# Impact of the Wood Species Used on the Chemical Composition, Color and Sensory Characteristics of Wine

## TL;DR

This study explores how different wood species affect the chemical, color, and sensory qualities of white wine during aging.

## Contribution

The research identifies new wood species with potential for white wine aging, expanding beyond traditional oak.

## Key findings

- Aging with different woods had little effect on oenological parameters but changed phenolic composition and color.
- Wines showed distinct sensory profiles depending on the wood type used.
- French Quercus petraea wood was most preferred by the tasting panel, followed by Quercus humboldtti and Robinia pseudoacacia.

## Abstract

In recent decades, the use of wood pieces has been promoted as a viable alternative to barrels to improve the quality of white wines. However, most available studies have focused on red wines. Given that white and red wines present significant oenological differences that affect their development and final characteristics, it is necessary to expand research specifically to the case of white wines. For this reason, this study evaluates the impact of using pieces of traditional oak wood (Quercus petraea (two origins: French and Romanian) and Quercus alba), other oaks (Quercus humboldtti and Quercus candicans) and other genera (Robinia pseudoacacia, Acacia dealbata, Prunus avium and Nothofagus pumilio) on the quality of white wine during the short period of contact with the wood. The results show that aging with the different woods has little effect on the oenological parameters of the wine; however, it does lead to a change in the phenolic composition and in the final chromatic characteristics of the white wines. From a sensory point of view, the wines showed different sensory profiles depending on the type of wood used. In general, the tasting panel preferred the white wine aged with French Quercus petraea wood pieces, followed by the wine aged with Quercus humboldtti wood pieces and the wine aged with Robinia speudoacacia wood pieces. This research improves our understanding of the potential impact of using pieces of different woods in white wines, describing the potential interest of some that have not been studied before, such as Quercus humboldtti.