The compounds that the wood releases to the wine and the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the barrel define the final wine. The new possibility of choosing the OTR of the barrel allows the winemaker to globally control the ageing process. The aim of this work was to study the volatile composition of woods classified according to their OTR, which are used to build barrels for wine ageing. The results showed that volatile composition differs depending on wood OTR and the temperature reached during toasting. On the toasted side of the stave in contact with the wine, low OTR wood had a statistically higher content in furan compounds (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural and 5-methylfurfural), acetovanillone and phenolic aldehydes (vanillin and syringaldehyde), while 4-ethylguaiacol and trans-β-methyl-γ-octalactone were significantly higher in staves with a high OTR. The same red wine aged first for three months in high and low oxygenation barrels presents different characteristics.
