| Summary: | This study evaluates the effect of microwave treatment in grape maceration at laboratory scale on the content of free and glycosidically bound varietal compounds of must and wines and on the overall aroma of wines produced with and without SO<sub>2</sub>. The volatile compounds were extracted by solid phase extraction and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, carrying out a sensory evaluation of wines by quantitative descriptive analysis. Microwave treatment significantly increased the free and bound fraction of most varietal compounds in the must. Wines from microwave maceration showed faster fermentation kinetics and shorter lag phase, resulting in an increase in some volatile compounds of sensory relevance. The absence of SO<sub>2</sub> caused a decrease in concentration of some volatile compounds, mainly fatty acids and esters. The sensory assessment of wines from microwave treatment was higher than the control wine, especially in wines without SO<sub>2</sub>, which had higher scores in the “red berry” and “floral” odor attributes and a more intense aroma. This indicates that the pre-fermentative treatment of grapes with microwaves could be used to increase the wine aroma and to reduce the occurrence of SO<sub>2</sub>.
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