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…

Evaluation of phenology, agronomic and oenological quality in minority wine varieties in Madrid as a strategy for adaptation to climate change

The main phenological stages (budburst, flowering, veraison, and ripeness) and the fruit composition of 34 Spanish minority varieties were studied to determine their cultivation potential and help winegrowers adapt their production systems to climate change conditions. In total, 4 control cultivars, and 30 minority varieties from central Spain were studied during a period of 3 campaigns, in the ampelographic collection “El Encín”, in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid. Agronomic and oenological characteristics such as yield, and total soluble solids concentration have been monitored.

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

Grape and wine phenolic compounds have been shown to be highly related to both wine quality (color, flavor, and taste) and health-promoting properties (antioxidant and cardioprotective, among others). The aim of this work was to evaluate and compare the phenolic contents of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from different geographical areas and climatic conditions, namely from Argentina, Portugal and Spain vintage 2022. In addition, the phenolic profiles of the Portuguese wines from three vintages (2020, 2021, 2022) was compared.

Wine racking in the winery and the use of inerting gases

The O2 uptake in the different winemaking processes is generally considered to be negative for the sensory characteristics of white and rosé wines. Wine racking is a critical point of O2 uptake, as the large surface area of the wine exposed during this operation and the inability to maintain an effective inert gas blanket over it.
The objective was to study O2 uptake during the racking of a model wine without using inert gases and to compare it with the purging of the destination tank with different inert gases.

New tool to evaluate color modifications during oxygen consumption in white and red wines

Measuring the effect of oxygen consumption on the color of wines as the level of dissolved oxygen decreases over time is very useful to know how much oxygen a wine can consume without significantly altering its color. The changes produced in wine after being exposed to high oxygen concentrations have been studied by different authors, but in all cases the wine has been analyzed once the oxygen consumption process has been completed. This work presents the results obtained with the use of an equipment designed and made to measure simultaneously the level of dissolved oxygen and the spectrum of the wine, during the oxygen consumption process from saturation levels with air to very low levels, which indicate the total consumption of the dosed oxygen[1,2].

Teinturier grapes: Valorization as a source of high-value compounds for the Chilean food industry

The agri-food industry is constantly searching for ingredients of high functional value, healthy and of natural origin. One species of particular interest is Vitis vinifera, due to its recognized antioxidant potential. Among the grape varieties, one group possesses these antioxidant compounds not only in the skin, but also in its pulp: Teinturier. The red grape has traditionally been used for color correction purposes in winemaking, however, its high antioxidant content transforms it into a raw material of high potential for new formulations of ingredients and foods for the health and wellness market.