Glycosidic aroma precursors: importance for wine and sparkling wine

After the first identification of glycosidic aroma progenitors in grapes and wine considerable progress has been made with regard to their analysis, structure and reactivity.

One topic that had attracted less attention so far, is the influence of fermentation on the cleavage of the glycosidically bound aroma precursors.

In this speech, Peter Winterhalter describes the methods available for the analysis of this compounds and presents a recent study on the use of different yeast strains with regard to selective liberation of aroma compounds from their non-volatile precursors. In particular, the odorless aroma precursors present in the base wines for the production of sparkling wines and how to use them to produce more or less aromatic wines with more or less marked varietal notes were studied.

In a further part of the study, the focus was put on the release and formation of 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-di- hydronaphthalene (TDN), since this compound is responsible for the “kerosene” off-favor in Riesling wines. It was shown for the first time that yeasts have an impact on the concentration of TDN in the resulting product. This finding together with other measures in the vineyard and cellar will ensure the production of Riesling wines even under rapidly changing climatic conditions.

The paper reproduced in this video-seminar was presented at the International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences – ICGWS (Logroño, Spain, November 7-9, 2018) organized by ICVV.