Understanding wine flavor: complex interactions, analytical advances, future opportunities

Abstract

The complexities of grape and wine flavor have been extensively studied, and advances have been informed by developments in analytical chemistry, sensory science, genetic and multi-omic approaches, and statistical tools that relate information from multiple data sets. In this presentation we will discuss applications of these approaches to improve our understanding of the impacts of aroma-aroma and aroma-matrix interactions (e.g., masking, enhancement effects) and their future applications, for example, in studying blends with novel cultivars. Analytical tools for measuring aroma precursors (e.g., glycosides) are also providing new opportunities to better understand relationships between grapevine genetics and wine flavor and to understand impacts of climate change (e.g., extreme heat events and drought) on grape and wine flavor composition and quality. Continued development of advanced statistical tools will provide opportunities for future advancements in understanding and predicting wine flavor.