Wine flavour

Abstract

The distinctive flavours of wines are affected by an enormous number of variables. However the grape variety and factors affecting wine development and berry composition exert major influences on distinctive flavours, whereas fermentation has very little overall effect. Although very little is known about specific compounds responsible for characteristic varietal flavours, in two cases compounds have been identified in grapes that are 'impact' compounds. In Muscat of Alexandria and other 'aromatic' varieties, terpenes contribute to the distinctive floral aromas; however, over 90% of the terpene content may occur as nonvolatile terpene glycosides, which can serve as flavour precursors. The amount of the bellpepper pyrazine, 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine, has recently been correlated with the intensity of 'vegetative' Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. In both of these instances, the 'impact' compounds have been shown to respond to climatic and/or geographical influences. The effects of specific geographical, viticultural and enological variables on wine flavour has been examined in Cabernet Sauvignon wines using partial least squares regression. IntroductionInvestigating compounds and factors that affect wine flavour is not unlike trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle for which only few pieces are available. As for many systems, wine flavour is elicited by over 400 volatile compounds and an unquantified number of nonvolatile compounds. Quantitative and qualitative volatile data for many varieties of wines have been published, along with odour thresholds for these compounds and descriptions of their aromas in single-component systems. However, the flavour of complex systems, such as wines, cannot be predicted using additive models from information about single compounds in model systems. With a few exceptions, perceived flavour is the result of a pattern or specific ratios of many compounds, rather than being attributable to one 'impact' compound. Since so little is known about which compounds determine the varietal distinctiveness of wine aromas, at this stage, it is not

Aroma compounds in Oregon Pinot Noir wine determined by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA)

“…Pinot Noir wine is described to exhibit distinct fruit aromas, evoking particularly the odours of small-stone fruits (plum and cherry) and of strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and blackberry. 1 Wine aroma chemistry has been meticulously studied over the last few decades, and several comprehensive reviews [2][3][4][5] have reported more than 800 compounds as volatile constituents in wine. However, most of these compounds are not odour-active, 6,7 and they do not contribute to wine aroma.…”

Effect of Increased Yeast Alcohol Acetyltransferase Activity on Flavor Profiles of Wine and Distillates

“…More specifically, grape variety, viticultural practices, and soil affect vine development and berry composition and exert major influences on the distinctiveness of wine and brandy flavor, as evaluated by sensory descriptive analyses (5,30). In addition, enological practices, including yeast and fermentation conditions, have a prominent effect on the primary flavors of Vitis vinifera wines.…”

“…With a few exceptions (e.g., terpenes in the aromatic varieties and alkoxypyrazines in the vegetative or herbaceous cultivars), perceived flavor is the result of specific ratios of many compounds rather than being attributable to a single impact compound (5). In wines and brandies, the major products of yeast fermentation, esters and alcohols, contribute to a generic background flavor (22,32,33), whereas subtle combinations of trace components derived from the grapes usually elicit the characteristic aroma notes of these complex beverages (5,30).…”

Fermented Beverage Production

“…The situation is more complex in grapes and it has proved remarkably difficult to identify compounds that give varietal characters to the resulting wines, except for good correlations between monoterpenes and intensity of muscat flavour (Wagner et 01. 1977) and the bell pepper character in Cabernet Sauvignon wines (Noble, 1994). …”