Petite Arvine is a white grape variety that grows exclusively in the canton of Valais in Switzerland and is used to produce a typical regional wine. In order to elucidate the nature of the flavour compounds that contribute to the characteristic aroma of this wine, the organic extracts were analysed by gas chromatography and olfactometry. The olfactometrically detected zones were further compared with the odour of extracts of vegetal material. 3-Mercaptohexanol, b-ionone and other compounds were identified as main contributors to the characteristic aroma of Petite Arvine wine.