Background. Wine is a complex mixture of various compounds with diverse structures and properties. Multiple factors influence the chemical composition of wine. Viticulture is at a disadvantage in Poland, compared to more traditional wine regions. Grapes grown in Poland have lower sugar content, which leads to lower alcohol content and higher acidity of produced wine, which could also be seen as an advantage. Aromatic compounds, which are the subject of this study, influence, along with other factors, the taste and aroma of wine.
Results and conclusions. This paper presents results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis and characteristic of aroma profiles of Polish wines. We identified 94 volatile compounds in 13 red wines and 53 volatile compounds in 18 white wines, including the following groups of compounds: alcohols, acids, esters, carbonyl compounds, ethers, terpenoids,  norisoprenoids, phenols, sulfur compounds and hydrocarbons. The wines were produced from various grape varieties. A comparison of obtained results, both between each other and with  results obtained in different studies, showed differences in wine composition, based on various factors. Odor Activity Values (OAVs) were calculated to define the dominant aroma of the analyzed wines, the higher the OAV of a given compound is, the greater impact on wine aroma it has.