Plant aromas in wine: the case of cabernet sauvignon from typical regions in China

22 Cabernet Sauvignon wines from 10 representative Chinese wine regions are collected, which wines contain plant aromas? GC × GC-QTOFMS/O analysis identified a total of 11 compounds with plant aroma characteristics, the average concentration of plant aroma-active compounds in the wine samples from the G2 (the second group region with cooler climate) (450 μg/L) was significantly higher than that in the G1 (the first group) (95 μg/L), and the average intensities of four out of the five plant aroma attributes in the wines of G2, namely green pepper, grass, mint, and eucalyptus, were higher than those in G1, plant aromas contributed to the sensory style of 95% of the wine samples analyzed. This systematic analysis of the distribution characteristics and intensity differences of plant aromas in typical Chinese wine regions provides theoretical support for exploring the regional features of Chinese wine, improving product quality and enhancing market competitiveness.