New Accelerating Techniques Applied to the Ageing of Oenological Products
Soraya Solar-Málaga, Remedios Castro, Enrique Durán
Abstract
Ageing in wood is one of the most important stages among oenological products elaboration procedures since it plays an important role with regard to the final product’s organoleptic characteristics and quality standards. Unfortunately, it is a slow process and, therefore, a rather costly one. New technologies are starting to be applied to this ageing process, such as ultrasounds, microwaves or pulsed electric fields, among others. All of them intend to accelerate the process while improving the final product’s physical-chemical and sensory characteristics. Such accelerating techniques are usually both clean and affordable, which is contributing to their growing presence as a practical alternative to traditional ageing methods. This is an overview of the current implementation of those accelerating technologies to the ageing of wines, brandies and vinegars.