Overview of Grape Varieties and Species || Genus Vitis, Vitis Vinifera || Cultivar Origin, Geographical Origin & Domestication

Discover the realm of Vitaceae, the family that includes grape varieties and species. Find out how Vitis and Vitis Vinifera originated, from their global dispersion to their domestication. Uncover the secrets surrounding the origin of the Vitis Vinifera cultivar. Explore these grape species' fascinating history and traits.

Introduction

In the Vitaceae family, grapevines are typically placed in the genus Vitis. The Virginia creeper (P. quinquefolia) and Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) are two more well-known members of the family. Members of the Vitaceae family usually have a climbing habit, alternating leaf development on the stems, and enlarged or jointed nodes that produce flower clusters or tendrils in the opposite direction from the leaves. The tiny, bisexual or unisexual flowers grow in big clusters. The stamens develop opposite the petals, and the majority of the flower's components are grouped in groups of fours and fives. Two carpels make up the ovary, which is partly encased in a receptacle that eventually matures into a two-compartment berry with up to four seeds.

Vitis vinifera

Flower arrangement of Vitis Vinifera

The family Vitaceae is primarily tropical to subtropical in nature, with perhaps over a thousand species distributed among 15–16 genera. Vitis, on the other hand, is mostly a temperate zone genus that is native to the Northern Hemisphere. Acareosperma, Ampelocissus, Ampelopsis, Cayratia, Cissus, Clematicissus, Ampherocissus, Parthenocissus, Pterisanthes, Pterocissus, Rhoicissus, Tetrastigma, and Yua are genera that are related.

Genus Vitis

The main characteristic that sets grapevines apart from comparable genera is their flowers. Generally speaking, the flowers are unisexual; they can be classified as male or female depending on whether they have upright, functioning anthers and a fully developed pistil, or if they have a functional pistil and produce sterile pollen or recurved stamens. The fused petals, known as the calyptra or cap, break along the base from the receptacle but stay joined at the apex. When fully grown, the petals fall off. Nectar swells are located at the base of the ovary. They produce a subtle scent that draws insects that pollinate plants. Early in the flower's development, the calyx's sepals degenerate and only form as remnants. The fruit has a tart and juicy taste.

Traditionally, the genus has been split into the sections, or subgenera, Vitis and Muscadinia. The bigger of the two subgenera, Vitis (bunch grapes), includes all species with the exception of V. rotundifolia and V. popenoei. These two belong to the Muscadinia subgenus. Some taxonomists have separated the muscadine grapes into their own genus, Muscadinia, because the two subgenera are sufficiently different from one another.

Subgenus Vitis members are distinguished by their lenticels-free shredding bark, tangentially positioned phloem fibres, branched tendrils, elongated flower clusters, fruit that sticks to the fruit stalk when it reaches maturity, and pear-shaped seeds with a prominent beak and smooth chalaza. The distinct, circular, depressed area on the dorsal (rear) side of the seed is known as the chalaza. Muscadinia subgenus species, on the other hand, have radially arranged phloem fibres, unbranched tendrils, prominent lenticels, no diaphragm interrupting the pith at nodes, small floral clusters, berries that separate individually from the cluster at maturity, and boat-shaped seeds with a wrinkled chalaza.

The 2 subgenera also differ by the number of chromosomes; Vitis species contains 38 chromosomes while the Muscadinia have 40 chromosomes.

Geographic Origin of Vitis and Vitis Vinifera

It is unknown where and when the Vitis genus evolved. Vitis species are currently found in Asia, Europe, Central and North America, and northern South America (the Andean highlands of Colombia and Venezuela). Species in the subgenus Muscadinia, on the other hand, are limited to northern Mexico and the south-eastern United States.

Based on the impressions of fossilised leaves, numerous extinct species of Vitis were hypothesised in the 1800s. Because of the questionable quality of the evidence, these are no longer recognised as legitimate designations. Not only do a number of unrelated plants have leaves with similar outlines, but grapevines differ greatly in terms of dentation, lobbing, and leaf form. Although there is a huge deal of interspecies diversity, there is somewhat more confidence in the more distinctive form of seeds.

However, because of morphological variation in seed samples, these identifications remain tentative because they are based on relatively few specimens. Furthermore, Vitis seeds and those from related genera like Tetrastigma and Ampelocissus are similar. In Europe, grape fossil remains have been discovered the most. Nonetheless, rather than the historical distribution of grape species, this might more accurately reflect the distribution of paleobotanical interest or the availability of suitable sedimentary deposits.

Domestication of Vitis Vinifera

Only in the late 4th millennium B.C., specifically about 3200 B.C. from Jericho and northern Iran, and around 2800 B.C. in Macedonia and Greece, does there exist conclusive evidence of domestication. This is strikingly close to two millennia after the earliest archaeological records of wine production. The latter, however, is in line with the theory that agriculture will leave the Fertile Crescent and extend into northern Iran and Anatolia. As a result, it's possible that winemaking evolved alongside agriculture and even predates the anatomical evidence of grapevine domestication that has been preserved.

A further feature of the fruit pedicel that is important to archaeologists studying domestication is its altered state. When the berries are removed from a farmed Vitis vinifera bunch, the pedicel often breaks off the main stem (rachis). On the other hand, the stems of wild vines are robust and the pedicel rarely separates from the peduncle. Therefore, in archaeological remains, the relative frequency of seeds that are still connected to the pedicel serves as an indicator of domestication.

It is generally believed that domestication of Vitis vinifera occurred in or around Transcaucasia, or neighboring Anatolia (~ 4000 B.C.). The distribution of Vitis vinifera was likely similar to that in the mid-1850s, prior to the decimation brought on by the phylloxera invasion, because the climate was similar to what it is today.

Cultivar Origin of Vitis Vinefera

Common cultivated Grapes

Much of the published scientific record relates to the origins of cultivars that were produced in the later part of the nineteenth and twentieth century. Unfortunately, there is little to no information available regarding the origins of the great majority of Vitis vinifera varieties. Reliable proof of the existence of the majority of European cultivars is rarely found to extend beyond two centuries. Despite the fact that many European cultivars are thought to be old, there is typically little or no supporting evidence. Sometimes the origin of a name can be inferred from its derivative, such as "Sauvignon" from sauvage (Fr.), which means wild, and "Sémillon" from semis (Fr.), which means seed (Levadoux, 1956). Nonetheless, the fact that many European cultivars have several distinct names does not support name origination as a significant point of contention.

Morphological (ampelographic) comparisons provide more significant data regarding varietal origin. These data are most useful in cases when cultivars have diverged by somatic mutation from a common ancestor, as in the case of the colour mutants of "Pinot noir," "Pinot Meunier," "Pinot gris," and "Pinot blanc." Except in cases where somatic mutation modifies the progenitor's features, vegetative propagation preserves such traits. Sexual (seed) propagation, on the other hand, rarely yields offspring that resemble their parents. When sexual reproduction has been engaged, this tends to dilute differences in morpho-logical features and renders them poor indications of origin.

Discover more about the fascinating history of Vitis vinifera, including how it was domesticated in Transcaucasia and where varieties originated. Discover the mysteries of grape evolution, comprehend the ways that geography and morphology interact, and enjoy the rich history of this extraordinary fruit.

For more Viticulture and Enology related blogs Click Here!