An international genetic research, the largest of its kind to date, is shedding more light on the origins of vines and, by extension, wine. The analysis concluded that the domestication and cultivation of the vine began 11,000 to 11,500 years ago, about 4,000 years later than earlier estimates, in two different places, in Western Asia (Near East) and the South Caucasus, more than 1,000 km apart. In the Balkans, it is estimated that wine viticulture appeared about 8,700 years ago, in conjunction with the migration of Anatolian farmers to the West.
The researchers, led by Professor Yang Dong of China’s Yunnan Agricultural University, who published in the journal Science, carried out genetic analysis on more than 3,000 grapevine samples from 16 countries, including plants in private collections that had never been studied so far, as well as from sites with wild vines (Vitis sylvestris), in addition to diverse grapevines (Vitis vinifera).
Where, when and how the cultivation of the vine began is a problem that has concerned scientists for years. Although grapes and wines are very important culturally, their story has a rather nebulous beginning. Various hypotheses have been proposed, but are difficult to confirm.
What the new study showed
Until now, not enough grape varieties had been genetically analysed, something the new research was able to do for the first time, so it is thought to give a more reliable picture. A previously prevailing view was that vines were domesticated before the advent of agriculture in a single location in Western Asia and from there spread everywhere.
But the new study shows how there was a parallel double origin of the cultivated vine, with a parallel cradle in the South Caucasus, while in both places domestication took place later, alongside the emergence of agriculture and almost simultaneously with the beginning of cereal cultivation. The domestication and cultivation of vines in the South Caucasus had a limited spread and relatively little downstream influence, while it was the domestication in the Near East that eventually dominated internationally.
Also while, based on the hitherto prevailing theory, wine grapes had begun to be cultivated before table grapes (as fruit), the new research concluded that both began to be cultivated in parallel. Compared to table grapes, wine grapes are generally smaller, with thicker skin and less sugar, having characteristics more similar to those of wild vines, reports the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
The study also found that the origin of wine in Europe is related to the crossing between wild Western European vines and domesticated Near Eastern vines that were originally used as a food source. In contrast to cereals, there were populations of wild vines in Europe, which then “married” with imported domesticated vines.
Researchers have identified some genes that improve the taste, color and texture of grapes and that could help today’s winemakers create varieties that are more resistant to climate change and more generally to environmental stress and plant diseases.
*photo by the researchers from the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency
Source: News Beast
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