Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
evolution of wild vine species into the vines of
today, we know that the distribution range of the
wild vine from which the cultivated forms of
grapevine developed originally included the Ana-
tolian, Caucasus, and Caspian regions. These
regions are widely considered to be primary cen-
ters of domestication of the grapevine. From there,
the cultivated forms of
Vitis vinifera
moved west-
ward into the Near East and the Mediterranean
basin. Though the existence of secondary centers
is still questioned by some experts, others agree
there were six main secondary centers of domesti-
cation, where local grape varieties where born by
naturally occurring crossings, fi rst in Egypt, and
then in Greece and Italy. These secondary centers
of domestication therefore also doubled as centers
of genetic diversity and accumulation. In this
respect, it is interesting to notice that the majority
of the better-known Sicilian native varieties, with
the exception of Frappato, are closely related. This
makes sense, since having been in the same place
together for a very long time, they were subjected
to introgression between themselves and interac-
tions with the local environment and with other
locally found grapes. Of course, this should also
be true not only of Sicily, but also of other domes-
tication centers and their grape varieties. Interest-
ingly, secondary centers do not explain the births
of all the new species: wine was being made in
both Italy and France long before any Greek set-
tlers or Phoenician traders arrived, from local wild
and
vinifera
species. These local varieties were
widely present throughout Europe and western
Asia and were the subject of multiple domestica-
tions everywhere. According to Levadoux (1951),
vinifera
species also grew in southern Europe;
Biagini has reported on fossils of
vinifera
dating
back to the Quartenary period, found in archeo-
logical sites near Fiano Romano and Ascoli Piceno
in central Italy.
origin of specifi c grape varieties. Consequently
it has become easier to distinguish which varie-
ties are native to one area or another. When
evaluated using DNA marker studies (especially
using maternal haplotypes of chloroplast plas-
mid DNA), many varieties were clearly differen-
tiated and structured by geographic subregions.
Such studies make it clear that the genetic
structures of many Italian native grapes are dif-
ferent from the germplasm types found in other
countries. For example, according to experts
such as Arroyo-Garcia and Scienza, all the vari-
eties native to a specifi c territory share many
haplotypes in common, different from those of
varieties found in or native to other areas.
Debate continues, but it appears that some
native cultivars descend at least in part from
local wild species. Arroyo-García, Ruiz-García,
Bolling, Ocete, López, Arnold, et al. (2006) pub-
lished landmark results regarding chlorotype
distribution along the geographical range of
grapevines—1,201 accessions of
vinifera
and
sil-
vestris
in all—and examined their genetic rela-
tionships. Eight different chlorotypes were iden-
tifi ed; of these eight chlorotypes (A to H), type A
is prevalent in European
silvestris
populations
but is not found in the Near East, while chloro-
types E, D, and G are frequent in Near East
populations but not found farther west. Interest-
ingly, the study reports that about “70 percent of
all Iberian cultivars display chlorotypes that are
only compatible with the possibility of having
derived from Western
silvestris
populations.”
Which makes Spanish and Portuguese grape
cultivars also pretty native: just like most Italian
native varieties, grapes such as Touriga Nacional
grow nowhere else in the world.
Of the six secondary domestication centers,
two are especially relevant to Italy and its native
varieties. One covered an area that covered
southern Italy (including Sicily and Sardinia)
and northern Africa: grape pip fossils dating
back to 1,500
B
.
C
.
E
. have been found in the Eolian
(Lipari) islands. Natives of this area appear to be
Asprinio, Impigno, Nero d'Avola, Aglianico,
Marsigliana, Carricante, Cataratto, and Grillo.
Interestingly, Scienza (2004) analyzed four
In the Beginning: The Birthplaces of Italy's
Native Varieties
Thanks to modern biotechnology techniques
and DNA studies, researchers have made con-
siderable progress in their quest to decipher the
