In the last few years thiol components that give important positive aromatic notes to wines have been identified. These components are usually of higher molecular weight in comparison to lighter ones that are usually associated with unpleasant aromatic notes. 

In his discussion,  Remi Guérin-Schneider, talks about three varietal thiols in particular that are the most representative: 4-mercapto pentanone (4MMP) , 3-mercaptohexanol 3MH and its acetate form 3MHA. These are key components in the aroma of several wines (Sauvignon, Colombard, etc), and can even be found in many other wines too. 

By using three examples (a New Zealand Sauvignon, three Provence rosé wines and a red wine) he describes possible balances between these thiols and fermentation esters in order to give different aromatic profiles from using certain winemaking and blending practices. 

Next he describes the biogenesis, the precursors and their origin, as well as the strategies to increase the conversion rate of these precursors. 

Nir Levav, in his presentation, describes the non-GMO genetic improvement techniques used by researchers in New Zealand. One example is hybridization techniques that aim to heighten fruity thiol aromas while maintaining the typical aromas of Sauvignon but that make an aromatic shift towards more passion fruit notes. Subsequently he discusses the results of a study done in Germany on the importance of sulfur-containing amino acids in yeast nutrition.

The seminars reproduced in these videos were presented at the 9th edition of Enoforum (Vicenza, Italy, 5-7 May 2015) in the session organized in collaboration with the company TEBALDI

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