ABSTRACT
During the muscatel wine-must fermentation the aroma profile changes notably due to the yeast metabolism. The result is a very complex aroma composed of a multitude of compounds, many of which differing with regard to concentration, chemical and organoleptic properties, and contribution to the muscatel aroma. In the course of the fermentation these aroma compounds are produced in the ppm range, whilst one of the main metabolic products, ethanol, is produced in much higher quantities (up to about 10 wt%). For such a complex and valuable process it is important to have accurate and immediate information on the organoleptic development of the fermentation, such that it renders possible to detect and correct undesired deviations at an early stage. Traditionally the muscatel fermentation is monitored in the wine industry accompanying the evolution of the wine-must density along with human sensory analysis, and controlled solely by adjusting the temperature.
