The wild grapevine in Tuscany

The wild vine, Vitis vinifera l. subsp. sylvestris (Gmelin) Heigi, according to most opinions represents the progenitor of Vitis vinifera. Even today we can finds it in many forests of Central Italy, Sardinia and Europe. Our Department has initiated a project to preserve and study the ampelographyc , molecular and phylogenetic traits of wild vines found on Tuscany, with particular reference to those recovered in Maremma. Have been identified and cataloged over 150 accessions in different habitats, about 70 of which have been placed in a special collection, in order to make observations on qualitative and molecular phenological (nuclear microsatellites and cloroplastic). The investigations were carried out so far have shown a wide genetic variability, emphasized by morphological, phenological and qualitative), (male, female plants, black and white grapes) between which emerge anthocyanin profiles of the grapes very peculiar. As part of the recovered material, thanks to the use of molecular markers was possible to highlight how some alleged accessions of wild vines are actually the subspecies vinifera. Ongoing investigations are intended to expand the number of accessions and to assess possible genetic closeness also with the currently cultivated vineyards in Tuscany