Influence of yeast strain on aromatic profile of Gewürztraminer wine

- We compared volatile profiles of Gewürztraminer wines.
- Wines were fermented by four different Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.
- To determinate VOC we have used liquid extraction with pentane and GC-MS technique.
- The most important volatiles in wine samples were quantified.
- Importance of individual VOC and influence of S. cerevisiae strain were considered.

Three selected autochthonous and one commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains used as starters for fermentation of the same Gewürztraminer must were compared in terms of their influence on primary and secondary aroma of wine. At the same testing conditions, each strain S. cerevisiae produced individual metabolites in different concentrations and combinations which significantly influenced resulting wine flavour. Higher concentrations of 2-phenylethanol and cis-rose oxide, associated with S. cerevisiae TC-NAX-A, considerably distinguished this strain from the others. Occurrence of these VOCs has important influence on sweet rose-like flavour typical for Gewürztraminer wine. This paper deals with the characterization of chemical substances that directly affect the primary varietal aroma of Gewürztraminer wine, while looking for a tool to produce an original and attractive product in form of suitable autochthonous strain S. cerevisiae.