Wine aging: a question of closure ?
Le vieillissement du vin : une question d’obturation ?
Résumé
Aging mechanisms in bottle depend in particular on chemical autoxidation, which is favored by the supply of oxygen to the wine. The stopper therefore represents the last line of defense in limiting reactions involved in oxygen consumption. Many studies have focused on the gas barrier properties of different types of closure, comparing natural corks of various quality levels with agglomerated corks, synthetic corks or screwcaps1. While there are obvious differences in oxygen permeability between the major types of closure, these do not explain why uncontrolled oxidation can sometimes occur in a sporadic fashion. In this study, the issue of oxygen consumption by white wines during bottle aging was investigated, to assess the contribution of the interface between the cork stopper and the neck. From sporadic oxidation observed in several bottles of white wine from the same vintage and from the same production batch, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted, combining sensory assessment, targeted and non-targeted chemical analysis, as well as a study of oxygen transfers for the stopper-neck system.
À partir d’une étude de cas sur des bouteilles de vin blanc vieillies en cave, une approche multidisciplinaire intégrant analyses sensorielles, œnologiques et métabolomiques du vin ainsi qu’étude des transferts d’oxygène a mis en lumière l’importance de l’interface verre / bouchon (Karbowiak et al., 2019). Le transfert d’oxygène au niveau de cette interface peut participer significativement à l’oxydation au cours de la phase de vieillissement du vin en bouteille.
