Aroma Extraction Dilution Analysis of Sauternes Wines. Key Role of Polyfunctional Thiols

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to investigate Sauternes wine aromas. In all wine extracts, polyfunctional thiols were revealed to have a huge impact. A very strong bacon-petroleum odor emerged at RI = 845 from a CP-Sil5-CB column. Two thiols proved to participate in this perception: 3-methyl-3-sulfanylbutanal and 2-methylfuran-3-thiol. A strong synergetic effect was evidenced between the two compounds. The former, never mentioned before in wines, and not found in the musts of this study, is most probably synthesized during fermentation. 3-Methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol, 3-sulfanylpropyl acetate, 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, and 3-sulfanylheptanal also contribute to the global aromas of Sauternes wines. Among other key odorants, the presence of a varietal aroma (alpha-terpineol), sotolon, fermentation alcohols (3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol) and esters (ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl isovalerate), carbonyls (trans-non-2-enal and beta-damascenone), and wood flavors (guaiacol, vanillin, eugenol, beta-methyl-gamma-octalactone, and Furaneol) is worth stressing.

Origins of Grape and Wine Aroma. Part 1. Chemical Components and Viticultural Impacts

“…The most abundant volatile sulfur compounds in wines are H 2 S, methanthiol, dimethylmercaptans (dimethylsulfide, dimethyldisulfide, dimethyltrisulfide), methylthioesters (Smethyl thioacetate, S-methyl thiopropanoate, and S-methyl thiobutanoate), and liberated glutathione and cysteine polyfunctional thiols (4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one, 4MMP; 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol, 3MH; and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate, 3MHA) , Dubourdieu and Tominaga 2009, Roland et al 2010. A myriad of other sulfur-containing compounds have been identified in wines, suggesting that there is still much to be discovered in this area , Bailly et al 2006, Sarrazin et al 2007b, Dubourdieu and Tominaga 2009.…”

Botrytized wines – current perspectives

“…62 Its presence has been repeatedly confirmed in botrytized wines. 63,64 However, it is also a typical compound in some nonbotrytized wines such as flor sherry and fortified sweet wines such as Port. 65 Among heterocyclic compounds, beta-lactones (coconut) and gamma-lactones (peach and apricot) 20,59,61,64,66 were confirmed as key aroma compounds.…”

Origins of Grape and Wine Aroma. Part 2. Chemical and Sensory Analysis

“…As previously discussed, much wine sensory research has focused on correlating descriptive sensory and quantitative analytical data in order to successfully identify odor compounds that contribute to the overall aroma perception of wine (Guth 1997a, 1997b, López et al 1999, Kotseridis and Baumes 2000, Lee and Noble 2003, Escudero et al 2004, Campo et al 2005, Bailly et al 2006, Benkwitz et al 2012. The use of sensory evaluation to elucidate the impact of complex aroma compound interactions, including masking and enhancing effects, is likely to improve our understanding of the perceived aroma of wine (Atanasova et al 2005a).…”