terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Wine odors: chemicals, physicochemical and perceptive processes involved in their perception

Wine odors: chemicals, physicochemical and perceptive processes involved in their perception

Abstract

The odors of wines are diverse, complex and dynamic and much research has been devoted to the understanding of their chemical bases. However, while the “basic” chemical part of the problem, namely the identity of the chemicals responsible for the different odor nuances, was satisfactorily solved years ago, there are some relevant questions precluding a clear understanding. These questions are related to the physicochemical interactions determining the effective volatilities of the odorants and, particularly, to the perceptual interactions between different odor molecules affecting in different ways to the final sensory outputs.

The understanding of perceptual interactions has been delayed to a large extent by the common misunderstanding that odorants and odors are the same thing. Odorants are, however, chemical entities -volatile molecules- able to impact the olfactory receptors, while odors are the sensory experiences encoded by odorants. A significant part of the code is nowadays known, and can be explained in terms of odor x odor interactions. These interactions can be competitive, cooperative, destructive and creative. Cooperative interactions are relevant because give rise to the concept of odor vector, establishing a key link between the chemical and sensory spaces. Different studies have shown that the nearly 80 main wine odorants form 35 different wine aroma vectors, classified into 10-different aroma categories. Yet, aroma vectors can further interact by creative interactions to form new aroma nuances. Some of these interactions have been identified and will be shown. Furthermore, destructive interactions can also take a major role in wine, since ethanol and the higher alcohols are strong aroma suppressors. These suppression effects are of the highest interest in wine dealcoholization.

Finally, it will be shown that physicochemical interactions with different matrix components are enough to change the volatilities of some odorants by factors between 2 and 4, more than enough to have sensory relevance.

Acknowledgement. Most of this research has been funded by the Spanish government (projects MYCIN PID2021-126031OB; MINECO AGL2017-87373)

DOI:

Publication date: October 20, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Vicente Ferreira

Laboratory for Aroma Analysis and Enology (LAAE), University of Zaragoza, Spain

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Oxidability of wines made from Spanish minority grape varieties

The phenolic profile of a wine plays an essential role in its oxidative capacity and in both white and red wines it defines its shelf life[1]. The study of minority varieties to produce wines with peculiar characteristics necessarily includes the phenolic and oxidative characterization of the wines produced. This paper presents the study of wines made from 24 minority and majority white and red grape varieties, focusing on phenolic characteristics (total phenols, slightly polymerized phenols, highly polymerized phenols, anthocyanins…), color, as well as parameters related to the oxidability of the wines and their capacity to consume oxygen [2].

The colour pattern of flower arrangements influence wine tasters’ sensory description

The arrangements of flowers and wine counterparts are inextricably linked. Whether a fundamental aspect of tablescaping or acolytes to broader entertainment rituals, they have an entangled history since ancient times. The aim of this contribution is to verify the influence of visually delicate and robust flower arrangements on individual description of wines. Changes in the sensory description of wines were investigated during subjects’ (thirty-two participants) exposure to three different conditions: the presence of delicate, robust, or totally absent flower arrangements. In each condition, the same two wines were blind tasted: a wine previously defined as delicate – a Pinot Noir from Australia, and a wine known for its robust character – a Tannat from Uruguay.

Volatile composition of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Argentina, Portugal and Spain

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most cultivated grape varieties worldwide being grown in different environmental conditions due to its excellent adaptability. Volatile compounds deeply contribute to the sensory properties of wines therefore to wine quality. The aim of this work was to compare the aroma profile of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from different geographical areas and climatic conditions, namely from Argentina, Portugal and Spain, from the vintage 2022. In addition, the volatile composition of the Cabernet Sauvignon Portuguese wines from three vintages was evaluated.

Water availability at budbreak time in vineyards that are deficitary irrigated during the summer: Effect on must volatile composition


In recent years, Mediterranean regions are being affected by marked climate changes, primarily characterized by reduced precipitation, greater concurrence of temperature extremes and drought during the growing season, and increased inter-annual variability in temperatures and rainfall. Generally, high-quality red wines need moderate water deficit. Hence, irrigation may be needed to avoid severe vine water stress occurring in some vintages and soils with low holding capacity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of soil recharge irrigation in pre-sprouting and summer irrigation every week (30 % ETO) from the pea size state until the end of ripening (RP) compared to exclusively summer irrigation every week (R) in the same way that RP, on must volatile composition at harvest.

Time vs drought: leaf age rather than drought drives osmotic adjustment in V. vinifera cv. Pinot Noir

Global warming and increased frequency and/or severity of drought events are among the most threatening consequences of climate change for agricultural crops. In response to drought, grapevine (as many other plants) exhibits osmotic adjustment through active accumulation of osmolytes which in turn shift the leaf turgor loss point (TLP) to more negative values, allowing to maintain stomata opened at lower water potentials1. We investigated the capacity of Pinot noir leaves to modulate their osmotic potential as a function of: (i) time (seasonal osmoregulation), (ii) growing temperatures, and (iii) drought events, to enhance comprehension of the resilience of grapevines in drought conditions. We performed trails under semi-controlled field conditions, and in two different greenhouse chambers (20/15 °C vs 25/20 °C day/night). For two consecutive vegetative seasons, grafted potted grapevines (Pinot noir/SO4) were subjected to two different water regimes for at least 30 days: well-watered (WW) and water deficit (WD).