Grape and Wine Composition in _Vitis vinifera_ L. cv. Cannonau Explored by GC-MS and Sensory Analysis  
[PERSON]  
1 Dipartimento di Agraria, Universita degli Studi di Sassari, Viale Italia 39 / A, 07100 Sassari, Italy;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.L.P. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (L.M. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (P.P.U. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.F. );  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.V.) 1 Dipartimento di Agraria, Universita degli Studi di Sassari, Viale Italia 39 / A, 07100 Sassari, Italy;  
[EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.L.P. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (L.M. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (P.P.U. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.F. post-fermentative compounds arise from chemical reactions that take place during the wine's ageing process [6]. Primary compounds may occur in free as well as in bound forms, depending on the odor active molecule (aglicone) that may, or may not, be bound to a sugar moiety. Bound forms are commonly known as aroma precursors since they undergo hydrolysis easily, generating the active odor molecule and free sugar. Some grape varieties are characterized by high concentrations of odor-active forms and are classified as \"floral\" varieties; for example, Muscat varieties are characterized by large amounts of free terpen. By contrast, when terpen in the free form occur at low concentrations (in general lower than the respective odor threshold), these varieties are classified as \"non-floral\" varieties, such as Chardonnay. Several classes of VOCs have been detected in grapes. Of these, the main varietal compounds are: terpen (mainly present in grape skin) [7], methoxypyrazines [8] (carotenoid-derived compounds also known as norisoprenoids) [9], thiols [10], benzene derivatives [11], and compounds derived from lipid oxidation [12]. The production of secondary metabolites in the grape--and therefore their contribution to the chemical composition of the wine's aroma--is greatly variable and strongly influenced by the \"terrori\" [13] as well as by agronomic practices [14]. In recent years, many authors have studied the effects of agronomic practices and of the interactions of the vine with the soil and climate on the VOCs, with the aim of being able to modulate and improve the chemical composition of the grape's aroma [14; 15]. Several attempts have been made, in the last ten years, to relate the wine aroma profile to sensory data but often the results obtained are weak or difficult to explain due to different reasons, namely the statistical method used to explore this relationship or the use of an imprecise or not clear sensory terminology [16]. Moreover, it is difficult to fully understand the contribution of the varietal composition alone to the overall wine flavor. In fact, many interactions occur in wine between the varietal aromas and other nonodorant wine components, that influence the wine sensory characteristics [6]. \"Cannonau di Sardegna\" is a red wine, designated a DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wine since 1972 [17], and produced by the homonym variety typical of Sardinia. Based on the ampleographic data and genetic observations, the Cannonau grape has been linked to Grenache noir cultivated in France, and Garnacha tinta cultivated in Spain [18; 19]. According to this classification, Grenache is cultivated all over the world, and it has been estimated that the total area cultivated with this grape variety is little short of 200,000 hectares [20]. In Europe, France and Spain are the predominant producers, cultivating approx. 81,000 and 62,000 hectares, respectively. Italy is ranked third in Europe for the cultivation of this grape, with a dedicated \(\sim\)8000 hectares, 7600 of which are in Sardinia. Although the worldwide cultivated area of Grenache has been decreasing since 2004 [21], this variety, which adapts well to hot and dry regions, is well known in France, Spain, and Sardinia for the very good, interesting wines it produces. Previous studies conducted on Grenache in Spain suggest that the soil may affect wine chemical composition and quality. [PERSON] et al.