Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/658375
42 WINES&VINES April 2016 OAK BARREL ALTERNATIVES BARREL RESCUE Turning used oak barrels into new oak adjuncts for wine maturation KEY POINTS An Australian study investigated whether neutral barrels could be reclaimed for use as oak adjunct battens (staves). The wine-saturated exteriors of staves from five- to six-year-old barrels were cut off, and the stave wood was re-toasted. The results demonstrated that reclaimed oak is capable of imparting oak aroma and flavor to wine, and no Brettanomyces was detected. D uring barrel maturation, the volatile compounds extracted from oak wood can contribute to a wine's overall aroma and flavor, enhancing its character and complexity. 8 These compounds include, but are not limited to, cis- and trans-oak lactone, guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, eu- genol, vanillin, furfural and 5-methylfurfural. Due to its abundance in oak-aged wine and relatively low detection threshold, cis-oak lactone is perhaps the most important oak volatile. Both cis- and trans-oak lactone impart coconut aroma and flavor characters to wine, 5 while guaiacol and 4-methylguaiacol exhibit smoky at- tributes, and vanillin and eugenol afford distinctive vanilla and clove characters, respectively. 9 The furanones are thought to make less significant contributions to aroma due to their considerably higher aroma-detection thresholds, but they may influence the perception of oak lactone. 9 By Kerry Wilkinson, Sijing Li, Paul Grbin and Peter Warren OAKBAK.COM