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Vineyards are usually managed by tilling the inter-rows to avoid competition from other plants for soil water and nutrients. However, in humid and sub-humid climates, such as that of NW Spain, cover crops may be an advantage for controlling vine vegetative growth and improving berry composition, while reducing management costs. The current study was conducted over three consecutive growing seasons (2012)(2013)(2014) to assess the effects of establishing three permanent cover crop treatments on water relations, vine physiology, yield and berry composition of a vineyard of the red cultivar 'Mencía' (Vitis vinifera L.) located in Leiro, Ourense. Treatments consisted of four different soil management systems: ST, soil tillage; NV, native vegetation; ER, English ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.); and SC, subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Midday stem water potential was more negative in the native vegetation treatment, causing significant reductions in leaf stomatal conductance on certain dates. Total vine leaf area and pruning weight was reduced in the cover crop treatments in the last year of the experiment. Yield was unaffected by the presence of a cover crop. No significant differences among treatments were observed for berry composition; however, wines were positively affected by the SC treatment (higher tannin content and colour intensity and lower malic acid concentration when compared with ST). Wines from the cover crop treatments were preferred by taste panelists. These results indicate that in humid climates cover crop treatments can be useful for reducing vine vegetative growth without compromising yield and berry quality.Additional key words: berry composition; cover crops; Mencía grapevine; tillage; sustainability; wine composition.

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<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: This work contributes to the knowledge of the genetic diversity of <em>Vitis vinifera</em> L. with the characterization of the non-referenced cultivar ‘Albilla’ by ampelographic description and molecular markers. This will be useful for the preservation, identification and propagation of this cultivar in the future.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: Six microsatellites (SSRs), 55 OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) morphological descriptors and 45 phylometric traits were evaluated in two accessions of ‘Albilla’ preserved in the Germplasm Bank of EVEGA (Estación de Viticultura e Enoloxía de Galicia), Xunta de Galicia. Additionally, we set out to determine whether this cultivar was distinct from the yet uncharacterized ‘Albillo’ cultivars found in the Canary Islands. These methods allowed us to describe the cultivar known as ‘Albilla’ and to compare it with other homonym cultivars.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions</strong>: The ‘Albilla’ cultivar is different from other genotypes denominated ‘Albillo’ and any other genotype described until now. This may indicate that it could be an autochthonous cultivar from Galicia.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: The characterization of cultivars is still necessary in order to identify any homonyms or synonyms, develop measures for their conservation (germplasm collection) and evaluate their potential for producing quality wines.</p>