Impact of Harvest Timing on the Concentration of 3-Mercaptohexan-1-ol Precursors in Vitis vinifera Berries

The effect of harvest timing on the concentration of flavor precursor 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (flavor precursor 3MH) in Vitis vinifera grape berries was investigated. The accumulation of flavor precursor 3MH in Chardonnay grape increased in early morning and decreased during the day. The daily fluctuation of flavor precursor 3MH accumulation in grape was common to several grape cultivars irrespective of the sampling year. These results suggested that early morning harvest might yield higher concentrations of 3MH and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate in wines than daytime harvest. These findings could contribute to improving viticultural and enological practices with the aim of producing aromatic wines.