Chemical Composition of Sherry Wines During the Biological and Oxidative Aging

CHANGES IN THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SHERRY WINES DURING THE BIOLOGICAL AND OXIDATIVE AGING 

The production of sherry wines is mainly characterized by a long aging period (from 5 to 12 years, depending on the style) in oak casks, the use of a limited number of white grape varieties (cv. Palomino for dry sherry, and Pedro Ximenez and Muscat for sweet sherries) fermented under 

Angeles Pozo-Bayon and M. Victoria Moreno-Arribas 

Some of the most important chemical changes that occur during the biological and /or oxidative aging of sherry wines are reviewed below. 

During the biological aging of sherry, the concentration of ethanol decreases because of its consumption by flor yeast. Its respiration via the tricarboxylic acid pathway (Suarez-Lepez and Inigo-Leal, 2004) provides the main source of carbon and energy. Acetaldehyde is the main organic byproduct of ethanol metabolism, but other volatile compounds, notably acetic acid, butanediol, diacetyl, and acetoin, can also be formed. In addition, 

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