Contribution to the sensory and volatile characterization of four traditional Galician red varieties

Galicia, a region sited in the northwest of Spain, is one of the most important wine production area, with five Appellations of Origin Controlled (AOC). In the last few years, there is a growing interest within the Galician winemaking industry in the recuperation of the denominated traditional or noble varieties, in order to endow differentiated and singular characteristics to the Galician red and white wines. Caiño is the name of some minor red Vitis grown in this region. This general name involves a group of red autochthonous cultivars, including Caiño Redondo, Caiño da Terra, Caiño Longo and Caiño Astureses, each of them with different characteristics.
The quality of these grapes is appreciated in winemaking but the majority of Caiño wines are elaborated blended with other varieties of Galician grapes (Mencia, Souson, Garnacha), because pure red Caiño wines present a high acidity that requires blending to balance them. Considerable research and development on the viticulture and enology of these varieties are still necessary, in particular in relation to the chemical aroma composition and the sensory properties of the corresponding wines.
In the present communication we contribute with the study of the aroma composition to a better understanding of the wines obtained exclusively from the four cultivars with the name Caiño. The other aim of this study was to establish the aromatic profile, in terms of attributes, that identifies the aroma of young wines from Caiño Redondo, Caiño da Terra, Caiño Longo and Caiño Astureses cultivars