Physicochemical model to interpret the kinetics of aroma extraction during wine aging in wood. Model limitations suggest the necessary existence of biochemical processes

A model based on physicochemical parameters has been developed and applied to the study of the kinetics of extraction of aroma compounds from oak casks having been used a variable number of times. Two major deviations from the model can be observed: a strong seasonal dependence of extraction (unexpected in a thermostated cellar); and higher yields with a smaller number of longer extractions. 4-Propylguaiacol follows both behaviors, and its levels have been found to be closely related to those of 4-ethylguaiacol and to the number of uses of the barrel, which suggests that this compound may be formed by the same microorganisms forming ethylphenols from a precursor found in wood. Although the extraction kinetics of all aroma compounds appear to be more or less mediated by the action of microorganisms, those of whiskeylactones, eugenol, and 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol are more in accordance with the physicochemical model, whereas those of vanillin, syringaldehyde, furfuryl alcohol, and, of course, 4-propylguaiacol are much more coherent with a microbiological extraction/formation.