The oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of
closures is a well-known parameter
impacting the quality of Sauvignon blanc wines (SBw) within the first
years of storage, but little research has been published on its long-term
effects. The chemical changes in oxidation odor intensity in three
SBw sealed with natural cork and other closures that had different
known OTRs, ranging from <0.1 to 4.6 mg/year, were monitored over
a 10 year period. During aging, free SO2 and 3-sulfanylhexanol
loss, concomitant with increases in dissolved O2, OD420, and sotolon, were correlated with closure OTR levels.
After 10 years of aging, sensory analysis was conducted, supported
by additional chemical analysis of aroma impact markers, including
methional, phenylacetaldehyde, 2-furanmethanthiol, 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one,
ethyl-2-sulfanylacetate, and hydrogen sulfide, as well as total SO2 and dissolved CO2. These analyses revealed that
selected SBw were protected from oxidation over a 10 year aging period,
provided that the closure OTR did not exceed 0.3 mg/year.