Effect of Volume and Toast Level of French Oak Barrels (Quercus petraea L.) on Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Characteristics

The effects of toast level (medium and medium plus) and volume (300 and 500 liters) of French oak barrels used to age Cabernet Sauvignon wines were studied for two vintages. The chromatic characteristics, oak-related aroma compounds, and sensory properties of the wines were followed for 12 months to determine the final characteristics of the wines and whether the physicochemical characteristics influenced the resulting wines after aging. Results showed that wines aged in the smaller barrels with a medium plus toast level acquired better chromatic characteristics, higher amounts of oak-related aroma compounds, and higher sensory analysis scores. However, it was demonstrated that the physicochemical characteristics of the wine also influenced its subsequent aroma profile.