The Maillard reaction (MR) between sugars and amino acids, peptides, or proteins is understood to occur gradually during the production and aging of sparkling wines, where it contributes to caramel, roasted, and toasted aromas. Divalent metal ions can accelerate the MR, although this has not been previously reported in wine or wine-like conditions. In this work, the effect of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) ions on the concentration of 10 Maillard reaction-associated products (MRPs) was measured in modified sparkling base wine during accelerated aging at 50 °C for four weeks. Chardonnay base wine was modified by the addition of fructose (0.02 M) and a single amino acid (lysine, glycine, cysteine
0.01 M) in combination with Ca