WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2021

OENOLOGY RESEARCH | JUNE 2021

Terpenoid analysis in wine

TERPENOIDS AND WINE AROMA Wine aroma is due to a variety of com­ pounds whose origin range from grape to fermentation (alcoholic and/or malolactic) to barrel and bottle ageing. Chemically, aroma compounds belong to a multitude of classes, associated with certain descriptors: esters (fruity/floral), fatty acids (rancid), methoxypyrazines (green pepper), thiols (tropical), lactones (wood), etcetera. Despite their relative low concentration, terpenoids are highly desirable in wines, as they contribute to attributes such as ‘floral’, ASTRID BUICA & CODY WILLIAMS: South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch KEYWORDS: Terpenoids, wine aroma analysis.

WINETECH TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2021 | 78