The off-flavour UTA (untypical ageing) of wines produced from the vintages 1996-1999 within the scope of a long-term N fertilization experiment was compared to the o-aminoacetophenone (AAP) concentrations found in these wines. The wines were made of plants treated with 0, 60 and 150 kg N ha-1·N fertilization led to higher UTA intensities and AAP concentrations in aged wines; due to stronger fruity aromas with increasing N fertilization, young wines were able to mask AAP. Controls had a stronger masking effect in older wines, caused by antioxidants (phenols) and possibly higher alcohols. Moreover, at the same AAP level, wines from the vintages 1996 and 1998 exhibited lower UTA intensity than wines from 1997 and 1999. This is influenced by N supply, yield and time of harvest which can not be separated from each other.
