Abstract: The aroma compounds of different wines made from whole fruits, cloudy and clear juice of wild kiwifruit were extracted by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Additionally, physicochemical characterization and sensory evaluation were also performed to comparatively the quality of three different wines. Results showed that wines made from whole kiwifruits and cloudy juice had decreased total acid and volatile acid concentrations and consequently increased pH as well as reduced VC loss than wine from clear juice. The total aroma in wine fermented with skins was significantly higher than that in wine fermented without skins (P < 0.05), with higher levels of esters, terpenes and ketones while significantly lower levels of acids being found in the former (P < 0.05). The characteristic aroma compounds of three wines were distinct and their sensory aroma characteristics were also distinct. Kiwifruit wine fermented with skins had higher sensory scores with outstanding aroma for quality, intensity and authenticity of taste and aroma as well as a better balance of various aroma attributes than two other wines. Therefore, fermentation with skins can improve the quality of kiwifruit wines.

Key words: wild kiwifruit wines, clear juice fermentation, cloudy juice fermentation, fermentation with skins, sensory analysis