Influence of Soil Management on the Red Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Mencía Must Amino Acid Composition and Wine Volatile and Sensory Profiles in a Humid Region

Abstract

Adopting cover crops for vineyard soil management can provide several benefits, including soil protection, reductions in vine vigor, and enhancements in berry composition. However, the effects of this practice on wine aroma have seldom been addressed. This study aimed to determine the influence of different cover crops and soil tillage on the must and wine amino acid composition and wine volatile compounds of the red cultivar, ‘Mencía’ (Vitis vinifera L.), grown in Northwest Spain. Treatments consisted of soil tillage (ST), native vegetation (NV), English ryegrass (ER), and subterranean clover (SC). Cover crops did not alter the macro-constituents of musts; however, musts from NV and SC tended to lower concentrations of amino acids. Some color attributes of wines were influenced by cover crops in the vineyard. Methanol and trans-linalool oxide (pyran) concentrations in wines were significantly affected by soil management. Professional tasters encountered differences in visual, aroma, and palate descriptors of wines depending on the treatment imposed in the vineyard. These alterations in sensory properties seemed to obey to slight modifications of wine chemical characteristics due to vineyard soil management. According to these results, cover crops might be useful for modulating wine aroma in humid climates.