Regionally distinct wine characteristics (terroir) are an important aspect of wine production and consumer appreciation. Microbial activity is an integral part of wine production, and grape and wine microbiota present regionally defined patterns associated with vineyard and climatic conditions, but the degree to which these microbial patterns associate with the chemical composition of wine is unclear. Through a longitudinal survey of over 200 commercial wine fermentations, we demonstrate that both grape microbiota and wine metabolite profiles distinguish viticultural area designations and individual vineyards within Napa and Sonoma Counties, California. Associations among wine microbiota and fermentation characteristics suggest new links between microbiota, fermentation performance, and wine properties. The bacterial and fungal consortia of wine fermentations, composed from vineyard and winery sources, correlate with the chemical composition of the finished wines and predict metabolite abundances in finished wines using machine learning models. The use of postharvest microbiota as an early predictor of wine chemical composition is unprecedented and potentially poses a new paradigm for quality control of agricultural products. These findings add further evidence that microbial activity is associated with wine terroir.

Abstract:Wine is an ancient beverage and has been prized throughout time for its unique and pleasing flavor. Wine flavor arises from a mixture of hundreds of chemical components interacting with our sense organs, producing a neural response that is processed in the brain and resulting in a psychophysical percept that we readily describe as "wine." The chemical components of wine are derived from multiple sources; during fermentation grape flavor components are extracted into the wine and new compounds are formed by numerous chemical and biochemical processes. In this review we discuss the various classes of chemical compounds in grapes and wines and the chemical and biochemical processes that influence their formation and concentrations. The overall aim is to highlight the current state of knowledge in the area of grape and wine aroma chemistry.

A robust HS-SPME and GC/MS method was developed for analyzing the composition of volatiles in raw and dry-roasted almonds. Almonds were analyzed directly as ground almonds extracted at room temperature. In total, 58 volatiles were identified in raw and roasted almonds. Straight chain aldehydes and alcohols demonstrated significant but minimal increases, while the levels of branch-chain aldehydes, alcohols, heterocyclic and sulfur containing compounds increased significantly (500-fold) in response to roasting (p<0.05). Benzaldehyde decreased from 2934.6±272.5 ng/g (raw almonds) to 315.8±70.0 ng/g (averaged across the roasting treatments evaluated i.e. 28, 33 and 38 min at 138 °C) after roasting. Pyrazines were detected in only the roasted almonds, with the exception of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, which was also found in raw almonds. The concentration of most alcohols increased in the roasted samples with the exception of 2-methyl-1-propanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol and 2-phenylethyl alcohol, which decreased 68%, 80%, and 86%, respectively.

The dependence of wine sensory properties on vine water status in Vitis vinifera L., cv. Cabernet Sauvignon was tested. Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Napa Valley were subjected to three drip irrigation treatments: minimal irrigation (no irrigation added unless the midday leaf water potential dropped below –1.6 MPa), standard irrigation (32 L water/vine/week), and double irrigation (64 L water/vine/week). The minimal irrigation treatment produced midday leaf water potentials that were significantly lower than the other treatments throughout the season. Mean grape yields varied from 15.0 to 21.7 t/ha. Descriptive analysis conducted on the resulting wines demonstrated significant differences in several sensory attributes as per analysis of variance of the ratings. Analysis of variance and principal component analysis showed that the wines made from the minimal irrigation treatment were significantly higher in red/blackberry aroma, jam/cooked berry aroma, dried fruit/raisin aroma, and fruit by mouth than the wines from the irrigated treatments. The standard irrigation treatment wines were rated significantly higher than the minimal irrigation treatment wines in vegetal aroma, bell pepper aroma, black pepper aroma, and astringency. We conclude that vine water deficits lead to wines with more fruity and less vegetal aromas and flavours than vines with high vine water status.

Wine production is both art and science, a blend of individual creativity and innovative technology. But wine production is also business, with economic factors driving manufacturing practices. To be successful in the modern marketplace, a winemaker must integrate the artistic and economic aspects of wine production, and possess a solid understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that underlie purchase motivation.

Consumption of tomato products has been associated with decreased risk of some cancer types, and the tomato antioxidant, lycopene, is thought to play an important role in the observed health effects. In this study, four carotenoids, trans-lycopene, phytofluene, phytoene, and zeta-carotene, were quantified in tomato products. Samples of raw tomatoes, tomato juice after hot break scalder, and final paste were obtained from two different processing plants over two years. Comparison of carotenoid levels throughout processing indicated that lycopene losses during processing of tomatoes into final paste (25-30 degrees Brix) ranged from 9 to 28%. The initial Brix level of the raw tomatoes appeared to influence the amount of lycopene loss that occurred, possibly due to the differences in processing time required to achieve the final desired Brix level of the paste. In general, no consistent changes in the other carotenoids were observed as a function of processing. The antioxidant activity of fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, and three fractions obtained from these products (i.e., aqueous, methanol, and hexane fractions) was also determined. In both a free radical quenching assay and a singlet oxygen quenching assay, significant antioxidant activity was found in both the hexane fraction (containing lycopene) and the methanol fraction, which contained the phenolic antioxidants caffeic and chlorogenic acid. The results suggest that in addition to lycopene, polyphenols in tomatoes may also be important in conferring protective antioxidative effects.

A full-factorial design was used to assess the matrix effects of ethanol, glucose, glycerol, catechin, and proline on the volatile partitioning of 20 volatile compounds considered to play a role in wine aroma. Analysis of variance showed that the two-way interactions of ethanol and glucose, ethanol and glycerol, and glycerol and catechin significantly influenced headspace partitioning of volatiles. Experiments were conducted to observe the effect of varied ethanol and glucose concentrations on headspace partitioning of a constant concentration of volatiles. Analysis of variance and linear regression analysis showed that the presence of glucose increased the concentration of volatiles in the headspace, whereas increasing ethanol concentration was negatively correlated with headspace partitioning of volatiles. A subsequent study assessed the effect of diluting white and red wines with water and ethanol. It was again observed that increased ethanol concentration significantly reduced the relative abundance of volatile compounds in the sample headspace. This study investigates some of the complex matrix interactions of the major components of grape and wine that influence volatile compound headspace partitioning. The magnitude of each matrix-volatile interaction was ethanol > glucose > glycerol > catechin, whereas proline showed no apparent interaction. The results clearly identify that increasing ethanol concentrations significantly reduce the headspace concentration of volatile aroma compounds, which may contribute to explaining recent sensory research observations that indicate ethanol can suppress the fruit aroma attributes in wine.

An infochemical found on marine plastic debris elucidates a novel mechanism for plastic ingestion by marine wildlife.