The presence of aroma precursors in grapes has been a well known fact for many years. Glycosidation is the most common way that aromas accumulate in fruit. Glycosides provide a major source of potential aromas that can be released during the winemaking process, thus enhancing the varietal character of the wine.Traditionally, grape quality has been associated with its growing region. However, the use of chemical metrics, such as the measurement of glycosides, could be a more objective measure to assess the potential quality of the grapes.This work presents the distribution of glycosides among grapes coming from different wine regions of California in order to evaluate regional differences. The method used for analysis is based on the automatic SPE extraction of the precursors, followed by acid hydrolysis, and analysis of the released aromas by SPME-GC/MS. Results show that this measurement can be successfully applied to estimate the aroma potential of grapes.

Aroma precursor profile of California wine grapes

244th National Meeting (2012)

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