Off-Beat-News
Researcher discovers why wine smells the way it does─── 12:00 Sat, 24 Mar 2018
A researcher from Stellenbosch University has discovered why wine has its characteristic aroma.
Samantha Fairbairn this week received her PhD in Wine Biotechnology in the Faculty of AgriScience for defining the chemical features of wine perception.
Her research suggests that the 'wine' character that distinguishes wine from other beverages, and also allows consumers to identify a product as 'wine', is entirely due to the metabolic activity of yeast. This generic 'signature' is found in every bottle of wine, regardless of the country of origin.
She designed a synthetic grape juice that, after fermentation by wine yeasts, displayed a vinous character, indistinguishable from real wine following sensory analysis.
Broadly speaking, wine aroma has three origins: the grape, alcoholic fermentation and ageing.
Stellenbosch University
