Changes of enological variables, metal ions, and aromas in Fenjiu during 3 years of ceramic and glass bottle ageing

Changes in enological variables, metal ions, and aromas of Fenjiu were examined after 3 years of ageing in ceramic and glass bottles. Container type and ageing time showed significant effects on six enological variables, all metal ions, and most of the aromas. A principal component analysis was performed for aromas exhibiting simultaneous dependence on the container type and ageing time at the p < 0.001 level. The first two components accounted for 81.50% of the overall variance. Sensory analysis indicated that ceramic-aged Fenjiu was of higher quality than glass bottle-aged Fenjiu given the same ageing time. The ceramic container was more suitable for the ageing of Fenjiu.