No abstract

The aroma profile of five premium red wines has been studied by sensory descriptive analysis, quantitative gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), and chemical quantitative analysis. The most relevant findings have been confirmed by sensory analysis. Forty-five odorants, including the most intense, were identified. At least 37 odorants can be found at concentrations above their odor threshold. A satisfactory agreement between GC-O and quantitative data was obtained in most cases. Isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine, (E)-whiskey lactone, and guaiacol were responsible for the veggie, woody, and toasted characters of the wines, respectively. The sweet-caramel notes are related to the presence of at least five compounds with flowery and sweet notes. The phenolic character can be similarly related to the presence of 12 volatile phenols. The berry fruit note of these wines is related to the additive effect of nine fruity esters. Ethanol exerts a strong suppression effect on fruitiness, whereas norisoprenoids and dimethyl sulfide enhance fruity notes.

The aroma of a Grenache rosé wine from Calatayud (Zaragoza, Spain) has been elucidated following a strategy consisting of an aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), followed by the quantitative analysis of the main odorants and the determination of odor activities values (OAVs) and, finally, by a series of reconstitution and omission tests with synthetic aroma models. Thirty-eight aroma compounds were found in the AEDA study, 35 of which were identified. Twenty-one compounds were at concentrations higher than their corresponding odor thresholds. An aroma model prepared by mixing the 24 compounds with OAV > 0.5 in a synthetic wine showed a high qualitative similarity with the aroma of the rosé wine. The addition of compounds with OAV < 0.5 did not improve the model, whereas the aroma of a model containing only odorants with OAV > 10 was very different from that of the wine. Omission tests revealed that the most important odorant of this Grenache rosé wine was 3-mercapto-1-hexanol, with a deep impact on the wine fruity and citric notes. The synergic action of Furaneol and homofuraneol also had an important impact on wine aroma, particularly in its fruity and caramel notes. The omission of beta-damascenone, which had the second highest OAV, caused only a slight decrease on the intensity of the aroma model. Still weaker was the sensory effect caused by the omission of 10 other compounds, such as fatty acids and their ethyl esters, isoamyl acetate, and higher alcohols.

An extract from a dry young wine from Maccabeo was studied by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), quantitative gas chromatography, and different sensory studies. In a first study, 53 different aroma compounds were quantified and used to prepare aroma models. 2-Methyl-3-furanthiol (FD = 16) and 4-methyl-4-mercaptopentan-2-one (FD = 2), could not be quantified and were not included in those models, which were not very similar to the original wine. Omission tests did not show the existence of impact compounds. In another set of experiments, selected aroma chemicals were added to the original wine, but in only in two cases (isoamyl acetate and gamma-nonalactone) was a positive effect noted, on banana and citric notes, respectively. After these discouraging results, 4-methyl-4-mercaptopentan-2-one and 2-methyl-3-furanthiol were quantified and included in the models. The concentration of the former was as low as 5 ng x L(-)(1) (odor threshold = 0.8 ng x L(-)(1)); however, its inclusion in the synthetic mixture had a significant effect, making it very close to the original wine. Its role was confirmed by omission tests. Results are briefly discussed.