Amino acids play a relevant role in wine quality and can allow for classifying wines according to the variety. In this work, the amino acid contents of Albariño, Godello, and Treixadura wines, three autochthonous varieties from Galicia (NW Spain), were determined. During three consecutive vintages, these varieties were grown on the same vineyard and were harvested at optimum maturity, and the wines were elaborated following the same enological protocol. The identification and quantification of the primary amino acids were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection, after a derivatization. Amino acid contents in these white varieties were within the range of values reported for other European wines, but Treixadura wines showed the highest concentrations, while wines from the Albariño variety showed the lowest contents. Apart from proline, whose concentrations were caused by yeast release, the most abundant amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, lysine, arginine, asparagine, alanine, and histidine. Principal component analysis separated wines by variety according to their amino acid contents.
Keywords: Vitis vinifera (L.); nitrogen fraction; vine water status; wine classification.