WAC–IVAS 2026 – Session 2: Chemical analysis of grapes, wines, spirits and by-products

Oak barrels release a complex mixture of compounds into wine that shape organoleptic properties, such as its aroma, structure and colour.

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In the context of climate change, increasing grape ripeness and sugar accumulation are associated with a loss of acidity, posing a significant challenge for sparkling wine production.

While several important Austrian red grape varieties, most notably Zweigelt, are increasingly affected by the consequences of climate change

Wine is a complex matrix influenced by climatic, agricultural, and winemaking factors, making quality control and authenticity assessment essential.

Peptides are attracting growing interest as contributors to the main qualitative characteristics of wine, including oxidative stability, aromatic development, and mouthfeel impact (1,2).

Since the 2000’s, the occurrence of fresh mushroom off-flavor (FMOff) in wines has become a recurrent issue, linked to fungal alteration of grapes.

Wine aroma is a major determinant of quality and typicality and originates from the interaction between grape-derived precursors and fermentation-related metabolites.

Fast and reliable compositional analysis of grape must is essential for process control and quality assurance in winemaking.

The recovery and characterization of Spanish minority Vitis vinifera L. varieties has gained increasing relevance in enology, since it can contribute to wine diversity and typicity and may enhance resilience to climate change through differences in phenology, adaptability, and stress tolerance.

Climate change and changing consumer preferences are driving the growth of no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) wines, increasing the use of dealcoholization technologies such as reverse osmosis.

Furaneol® (2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone) is a key wine aroma compound reminiscent of strawberry and caramel notes and, together with other furanones and lactones, contribute to overwhelming dried fruit aromas.

Polyfunctional thiols are among the most potent aroma compounds in wine and play an important role in the varietal character of a wide range of white and red wines, especially Sauvignon blanc wines.

Over the past twenty years, climate change has increased the sugar content of grape must, leading to higher ethanol concentrations in wines.

Red wine production relies on the alcoholic fermentation of grape must, conducted either through the inoculation of selected yeast cultures, or spontaneously with a complex microbial ecosystem comprising indigenous Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces strains.