Abstract: Purpose: To determine the optimal harvest time of Meili grapes in Yangling, Shaanxi province for processing of dry red wine. Methods: Grapes were picked regularly after the beginning of conversion for determination of physicochemical indexes, phenolic maturity and aromatic components. Grapes harvested at the optimal time for physicochemical and phenolic maturity were used for winemaking. The aroma composition and color parameters were measured during the fermentation process. Results: The grapes harvested on August 24 showed the best phenolic maturity with cell maturity index of 0.061 and seed maturity index of 0.521. The wine made from these grapes showed the most abundant aroma with 41 aroma components, whose total content was 471.75 mg/L. The brightness and red tone of the wine were also the most consistent with the quality requirements for dry red wines. The optimal harvest time for physicochemical maturity was 4 d later than that for phenolic maturity and resulted in a wine with inferior aroma and color. Conclusion: The quality of Meili wine with phenolic maturity was better than that of the other samples.

Key words: Meili grape, Meili wine, maturity degree, aroma, color