Influence of geographical location, site and silvicultural parameters, on volatile composition of Quercus pyrenaica Willd. wood used in wine aging

For the current study, the volatile and semi-volatile composition of several samples of Quercus pyrenaica wood from NW Spain were analyzed and compared. The research was performed on a wide sample set of more than 100 samples (test tubes) obtained from different stands of this species. The relationship between some silvicultural and site parameters and volatile composition was studied. Altitude seemed to be the most influential parameter on the volatile composition. However, other factors such as distance from tree center, average annual precipitation, and number of trees per hectare whose effects on the volatile compounds were not significant. The influence of soil texture was not a determining factor while geographical location seemed to have a more specific impact on the extractive volatile content. The content of all extractable compounds studied allowed a good separation of oak samples of the same species according to their geographical origin.