Saturated linear aliphatic lactones are widespread aroma compounds in wine, linked to stone fruit, dried red fruit, and coconut descriptors. Despite their ubiquity, bioproduction pathways associated with these compounds in wine are unclear, but higher concentrations have been linked to many common vitivinicultural practices, including grape variety, microbiological influence, oak- and bottle-aging, and wine styles such as late harvest, noble rot, and icewine. Development of analytical techniques has enabled increasingly accurate quantification of lactones in wine, shedding more light on their potential origins. This review provides an in-depth summary of the research into linear aliphatic lactones over the past 50 years and provides direction for possible future research to elucidate the biogenesis of these compounds and better estimate their impact on wine aroma.
Keywords: Aroma; Botrytis cinerea; Fermentation; Grapes; Lactones; Wine.