2016-2017 OWB Funded Research | Identifying compound(s) responsible for off-flavors associated with “Stressed Vine Syndrome” in Pinot Noir

Off-flavor development is always a concern in wine industry. One of the increased concerns of wine off-flavor is related to vine stress syndrome. The off-flavor descriptors vary from winery to winery. The typical descriptors include “tequila,” “shellfish,” “peanut,” “ashtray,” “dry weed,” “herbaceous,” “flint” and other descriptors. In young wine, it smells like “bay leave,” and the wines do not age well. There were observations from wineries that vine stress syndrome could be related to compromised or nutritionally imbalanced fruits, induced by drought, nitrogen deficit, or a combination of many factors but the exact cause(s) has never been studied or documented. This research is aimed at identifying the chemical nature of these off-flavors using gas chromatography/olfactometry, GC-MS and sensory analysis. Once the chemical nature of the off-flavor is identified, viticulture and enology remedies could be further investigated.