Volatile phenols in wine: overview of origin, formation, analysis, and sensory expression

Abstract

Volatile phenols impart particular aromas to wine. Due to their distinctive aroma characteristics and low sensory thresholds, volatile phenols can easily influence and modify the aroma of wine. Since these compounds can be formed in wines in various ways, it is necessary to clarify the possible sources of each volatile phenol to achieve management during the winemaking process. The sources of volatile phenols in wine are divided into berry-derived, fermentation-derived, and oak-derived. The pathways and factors influencing the formation of volatile phenols from each source are then reviewed respectively. In addition, an overview of the sensory impact of volatile phenols is given, both in terms of the aroma these volatile phenols directly bring to the wine and their contribution through aroma interactions. Finally, as an essential basis for exploring the scientific problems of volatile phenols in wine, approaches to quantitation of volatile phenols and their precursors are discussed in detail. With the advancement of analytical techniques, more details on volatile phenols have been discovered. Further exploration is worthwhile to achieve more detailed monitoring and targeted management of volatile phenols in wine.

Keywords:

• Wine
• volatile phenols
• smoke-taint
• microbial formation
• oak aroma

Authors’ contributions

Weixi Yang, Yibin Lan, Ying Shi, and Changqing Duan conceptualized the idea of the study and performed visualization. Weixi Yang and Yibin Lan curated the data and wrote the original draft. Yibin Lan and Changqing Duan acquired funding and performed supervision. Weixi Yang, Ziang Zheng, Yibin Lan, and Andrew G. Reynolds reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Grant no. 6222035), the Key Project of R&D Program of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China (Grant no. 2023BBF01003), and the Wine Industry Development Project of Department of Commerce of Gansu Province (Grant no. GSPTJZX-2020-4).