What GC-MS actually tells us about a wine

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) separates a wine's volatile compounds and identifies them one by one. It's how a lab can say, precisely, which aroma molecules are present and in what quantity.

From molecules to aromas

Esters read as fruit. Certain thiols read as tropical or flinty. Pyrazines read as green pepper and herbs. On their own, these are just chromatogram peaks. In combination — and in ratio — they compose the aroma you actually experience.

That last point matters. Perception depends on the ratios of analytes and groups of analytes, not any single molecule. Modeling those interdependencies is exactly the hard, valuable part — and it's what turns a chemical readout into a sensory prediction.

The chemistry is objective. The translation to what a person will taste is where the science lives.