Besides aroma and color, the flavor quality of wines is determined by the typical orosensory profile centering around sourness, sweetness, bitterness, velvety as well as puckering astringency, respectively. In addition, the terms such as �mouthfulness�, �body�, and �complexity� are often used by wine experts to fully describe the oral sensation perceived during wine consumption. Although many attempts have been made to correlate analytical data on distinct wine components with the sensory data obtained from human subjects, the reports on the chemical species imparting the wine's taste profile are rather contradictory and the key drivers have not yet been comprehensively elucidated on a molecular level. Aimed at creating a valuable foundation for a science-based optimization of wine manufacturing processes, the molecular determinants of the authentic taste percept of red and white wines were identified by means of a sensomics approach and validated by taste re-engineering experiments. The individual �tastant codes� of several red (e.g. Amarone, Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Dornfelder) and white wine samples (e.g. Chardonnay, Riesling) were found to be surprisingly small and comprise a center group of not more than 36 key tastants in distinct concentration ratio.Taste re-engineering experiments validated that the perceived taste profile of each and every of these wines is synthesized in our brain from the same set of chemosensates just differing in their concentration. Using these key molecules as analytical markers, �mass spectrometric wine tasting� can help to navigate wine manufacturing practices and facilitate blending processes targeting the distinct chemical signatures determining sensory preferences of wines.

Molecular targets determining the taste of wine

248th National Meeting (2014)

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