Grapevine Genome Demystified

Filed in archive Wine News on August 29, 2007

Further proving that making wine is just as much science as art, scientists have recently decoded the genome of a grapevine related to Pinot Noir, and they hope that their findings will help improve breeding grape varieties, especially to help guard against pests and mildews.

From Bloomberg.com:

Researchers from France and Italy found 13 genes that are responsible for the Pinot noir wine's distinctive flavors, according to a study released yesterday by the journal Nature. Turning them on and off may give vintners the ability to add and subtract key characteristics from their products, said Jean Weissenbach, director of Genoscope, France's national gene sequencing center in Evry, which helped perform the study. . .

The most recent finding will help vintners better understand the taste and health of all grapes, said Carole Meredith, an emeritus professor of viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis. The variety is one of the world's oldest, along with Chenin blanc, said Meredith, whose work involved using molecular markers to trace the genetic origins of classic varieties such as Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

``This will mean something to grape geneticists in all countries,'' said Meredith, who now makes her own wine at the Lagier Meredith Vineyard in Napa, California in a telephone interview. ``It will help researchers understand how grapes respond to different environments, temperatures, soil characteristics, and environmental stresses.''

The grapevine used in the study, though, is not one that is used in cultivation. Reasearches hope to identify the specific genes related to disease resistance, and make the information available to grape farmers.