The Catalan Institute of Cork Foundation presents the Cork Aromatic Profile Manual which covers the aromas of cork and their limits of perception, details the different types of sensory analysis used in the wine and cork industries and analyzes the various existing aromas divided by families. For each aroma, the chemical compound that determines it is defined, the descriptors used to define it, and a brief explanation of thresholds, origin and tasting notes of the perception of the aroma.

This practical post is part of the demonstration activity “Diffusion of the sensory profile of cork and its application in the cork and wine industry”, financed through the 01.02.01 Technology Transfer operation of the Rural Development Program of Catalonia 2014-2020.

The context

Cork has been used as a preservative for alcoholic beverages (wine, cava or spirits) since the time of the Romans, where they were used as stoppers in wine amphorae, until today. Corks as we know them now began to be manufactured in Catalonia in the 18th century, creating a very unique socio-economic and natural ecosystem.

The research carried out at the Institut Català del Suro Foundation, since its creation in 1991, has provided the certainty that cork interacts with wine and cava in such a way that it helps it to evolve correctly over time product rotation. This phenomenon is mainly due to the micro-oxygenation provided by the cork and which nourishes the wine with the oxygen necessary for the dynamic balance of oxidation and reduction.

The aromatic compounds that we will see in this manual are also found in wine. In other words, cork and wine share the same aromatic compounds, wine being a much more complex matrix.

The cork manufacturing process is a procedure that modifies the aromatic profile from the original slab of cork to the finished cork intended to cap wines and cavas around the world. Knowing the aromas of this profile is a key tool for professionals in the cork and wine sector.

You can consult the manual for free here.