The art of flavored wine: Tradition and future

Flavored wine is a type of specialized wine fortified with flavor additives such as herbs, spices, fruits and other natural flavorings, which has attracted increasing attention. In practice, the addition of flavor substances in winemaking is strictly regulated in many countries. This review evaluates traditional flavored wines in terms of history, botanical recipe, processing technique and sensory quality, and explores emerging flavored wines in the aspects of flavor additives, aroma profile and sensory properties. Additionally, the interactions between phenolic compounds and aroma compounds in flavored wines and their impacts on product quality are also discussed. Traditional flavored wine, such as Vermouth, Bermet and Retsina, is among the most renowned alcoholic drinks. Basically, it is a blend of wine, botanical extracts, sugar and alcohol. Different parts (peel, seeds, flower heads, etc.) of aromatic plants (wormwood, cinchona, pine resin, etc.) are adopted as flavor additives, but with different combinations and proportions in recipe from company to company. At present, research on novel flavored wine is still at the early stage, although the inclusion of Ganoderma lucidum extract, Gentiana lutea root powders, grape skin extract, fruit juice, rice, dextrin, water and oak chips in winemaking have been proved to be successful in enhancing the aroma/flavor of wine and improving the mouthfeel. Addition of non-grape materials could introduce additional phenolics and aromatic compounds to the wine matrix, which is a critical factor impacting the flavor and palate of the flavored wine. Importantly, phenolics from non-grape materials may interact with saliva and oral mucosa and therefore has a prominent impact on the wine aroma volatility and thus wine organoleptic quality. In general, both traditional flavored wine and novel flavored wine are specially fortified wine characterized by the unique aroma and flavor of additional flavorings such as herbs, spices, fruits and other natural flavoring substances. This review provides comprehensive information on both old-fashioned and emerging flavored wines, which may trigger further investigation to exploit the potential of natural flavorings in winemaking.