Winemakers face a multitude of challenges in growing the grapes ultimately transformed into wine, but scientific developments may soon revolutionize this process. Grapes originated in Turkey about 8,000 years ago, and the grape varieties used in wine have developed from one species, Vitis vinifera. It takes new grape varieties three to four years to mature from seedlings to fruit-bearing plants, which can be a very expensive and time-consuming process for breeders. These grapes face problems with bugs and fungi. Although chemicals can help address those issues, they can create problems of their own by potentially damaging the environment.
In the United States, 70 percent of all fungicides used are sprayed in vineyards. The European Union, which produces 65 percent of the world's wines, wants to ameliorate its footprint on the environment by reducing the use of chemicals. In response to this growing dilemma, scientists have found ways to reduce economic and environmental costs. Researchers in the United States have mapped the genomes for more than 1,000 vine samples. The results of this research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, discuss the way these maps can help professionals distinguish disease-resistant plants. The team at Cornell University and Stanford University believes these genomic maps will help link the presence of genetic "markers" to traits such as acidity, sugar content and disease resistance - information that can be used to make informed decisions in developing new grape varieties. This may eventually lead to new and improved wine for our taste buds.
-Compiled by Fiza Hashmi
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