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Ampelography (ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field ofbotany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines,Vitis spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the vine leaves and grape berries; more recently the study of vines has been revolutionised by DNA fingerprinting.
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The grape vine is an extremely variablespecies and somevarieties, such asPinot,mutate particularly frequently. At the same time, the wine and table grape industries have been important since ancient times, so large sums of money can depend on the correct identification of different varieties and clones of grapevines.
The science of ampelography began seriously in the 19th century, when it became important to understand more about the different species of vine, as they had very different resistance to disease and pests such asphylloxera.
Many vine identification books were published at this time, one of which is Victor Rendu'sAmpélographie française of 1857, featuring hand-colored lithographs by Eugene Grobon.
Until the Second World War, ampelography had been an art. ThenPierre Galet of theÉcole nationale supérieure agronomique deMontpellier made a systematic assembly of criteria for the identification of vines. The Galet system was based on the shape and contours of the leaves, the characteristics of growing shoots, shoot tips, petioles, the sex of the flowers, the shape of the grape clusters and the colour, size and pips of the grapes themselves. The grapes are less affected by environmental factors than the leaves and the shoots, but are obviously not around for as long. He even included grape flavour as a criterion, but this is rather subjective.
Galet then published the definitive book,Ampélographie pratique, in 1952, featuring 9,600 types of vine.Ampélographie pratique was translated into English by Lucie Morton, published in 1979 and updated in 2000.
In 2012, Italian publisher L'Artistica Editrice publishedIllustrated Historical Universal Ampelography, a three volume set which contains the most important books edited in France and Italy between 1800 and 1900: theAmpélographie of Pierre Viala and Victor Vermorel, the grapes section ofPomona Italiana by Count Giorgio Gallesio and theAmpelografia Italiana of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. The book collects 551 color plates of grapes from all over the world, with texts in Italian and English, which describe the morphological and agricultural characteristics of each vine variety, as well as their synonyms and historical curiosities.[1]
Carole Meredith at theUniversity of California, Davis, pioneered the use ofgenetic fingerprinting for vine identification. Famous successes with the technique include proving the identity ofZinfandel, Primitivo, and Crljenak Kaštelanski, and identifying the parents ofSangiovese as Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo. Such exercises are giving valuable insight into historical patterns of trade and migration.
DNA fingerprinting uses segments of DNA that do not affect the look or taste of the grapes. More recent work has identified thegenes responsible for the differences between grape varieties, such as theVvMYBA1 andVvMYBA2 genes that control grape colour, or theVvGAI1 gene that ismutated in some cells ofPinot Meunier compared toPinot noir.[2]
Ampelography is the science of identifying, naming and classifying grape varieties through detailed analysis of the unique characteristics of the plant, its morphology and the different phases of its development. At the same time, however, the vine has its own extraordinary aesthetic and iconographic appeal.
The original GaletAmpélographie Pratique is the definitive book, either in French or in English translation, but has long been out of print and does not include any DNA evidence.
