STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF AGING IN DIFFERENT BARRELS ON SHIRAZ WINES

The Syrah/Shiraz grape variety is rather newly introduced in Romania and the producers are still working on establishing optimum winemaking technologies for it. Aging in oak barrels is an important technological step for this high tannic wine, therefore, the selection of the appropriate barrel to improve the structure, colour and flavour of this wine is of great importance. This study aims to compare the influences on the colour and sensory parameters induced on Shiraz wine by aging it for 1 year in barrels made of oak with various origins (French, Romanian, Russian and Hungarian oak) and various toasting levels. Wine kept in stainless steel tank was also used as control. It was observed that the French oak tends to differ compared to Russian and Hungarian oak as regards the colour differences induced in the wines, while the influence of Romanian oak is rather similar to that of French oak. Concerning the sensory quality of the wine aged in barrels, preliminary results point out that barrels from the provider "Transilvania bois" (Romanian and Russian oak) offer constant sensory quality, but some French oak barrels may ensure outstanding sensory quality. Regarding the toasting degree, for Shiraz wines the medium plus toasting offered the best results for structure and aromatic profile after 1 year of aging. These findings need to be confirmed with more precise aromatic profile analyses.