Aroma compounds in varietal wines from Alentejo, Portugal

Aroma compounds from varietal wines, five white and five red from Évora, Alentejo and two varietal wines from five other regions of Alentejo were studied during a two-year period. Fermentative compounds and glycoconjugated aroma compounds (terpenes, norisoprenoids) were analyzed by means of gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results show that fermentative aromatic compounds are related to the vintage rather than to the region or variety. Compounds released by enzymatic and acid hydrolysis of the glycosidic bound aroma compounds are quite suitable for varietal characterization. Some ratios among these compounds remain the same regardless of the vintage or the origin of the wine.