Polyphenols in red wine aged in acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) and oak (Quercus petraea) wood barrels

Polyphenolic composition of two Syrah wines aged during 6 or 12 months in medium toasting acacia and oak 225 L barrels was studied by LC–DAD-ESI/MS. A total of 43 nonanthocyanic phenolic compounds were found in all wines, and other 15 compounds only in the wines from acacia barrels. Thus, the nonanthocyanic phenolic profile could be a useful tool to identify the wines aged in acacia barrels. Among all of them the dihydrorobinetin highlights because of its high levels, but also robinetin, 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, a tetrahydroxydihydroflavonol, fustin, butin, a trihydroxymethoxydihydroflavonol and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid were detected at appreciable levels in wines during aging in acacia barrels, and could be used as phenolic markers for authenticity purposes. Although longer contact time with acacia wood mean higher concentrations of phenolic markers found in wines, the identification of these wines will also be easy after short aging times due the high levels reached by these compounds, even after only 2 months of aging.

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► Polyphenolic composition of two 100% Syrah wines aged in acacia and oak barrels was studied.
► The nonanthocyanic phenolic profile was a useful tool to identify wines aged in acacia barrels.
► Dihydrorobinetin, robinetin, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic aldehyde and acid, fustin, butin were exclusive of acacia wines.
► The identification of these wines will be easy also after short aging times, as two months.