White wine drinkers help pinpoint what's missing in no- and low-alcohol drinks

Researchers at The University of Queensland are investigating which aroma compounds are missing in no- and low-alcohol (NOLO) wine to make it more appealing to drinkers. Ph.D. candidate Huanhuan Li explained that reducing alcohol content significantly alters a wine's sensory characteristics, with aroma being a crucial factor in both quality and acceptance.

Dealcoholization can lead to the loss or alteration of important volatile aroma compounds, causing a sensory gap between NOLO and traditional wines. To address this, Li's team at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) combined chemical analysis with sensory evaluation to identify which compounds are reduced or missing in NOLO wines.

They recruited regular white wine drinkers to assess whether adding these compounds to NOLO wines improved the perceived vinosity of the drinks. Vinosity, or wine-likeness, is a key concept in their research, describing how closely the aroma of a NOLO product resembles that of conventional wine. The team is exploring microbial and fermentation strategies to naturally increase the production of these aroma compounds.

One approach involves using selected non-Saccharomyces yeasts, which can produce less ethanol while generating desirable aroma compounds, in a controlled natural secondary fermentation. Professor Heather Smyth, who leads the research, noted that consumer interest in NOLO wines has grown rapidly due to health and wellness trends and the desire to moderate alcohol consumption.

The team aims to improve the vinosity of NOLO wines by identifying missing aroma compounds, confirming what matters to consumers, and finding biological ways to restore them.