The Forgotten Vineyard of the Asturias Princedom (North of Spain) and Ampelographic Description of Its Grapevine Cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.)

Abstract

Vineyards in the Asturias Princedom (in the north of Spain) are on the verge of extinction. Their existence has been recorded since the 9^th century, and they are as old as other prominent vineyards in Spain and Europe. Some autochthonous grapevine cultivars of this region have never been described. Well-known winegrape cultivars are also cultivated together with these autochthonous cultivars. The former were introduced after the phylloxera crisis in the late 19^th century. For the past 10 years, vineyards in Cangas del Narcea (heart of the Asturian vine-growing area) have been studied. Four white-berried cultivars (Albarin blanco, Albillo, Blanca extra, and Moscatel blanco), eight black-berried cultivars (Albarin frances, Albarin negro, Cabernet, Carrasco, Garnacha tintorera, Mencía, Negrona, and Verdejo negro), one rose-berried cultivar (Jaen), and one red-berried cultivar (Moscatel rojo) were found. The average leaf of each of these cultivars was graphically reconstructed. An ampelographic description of the young shoot, the adult leaf, the cluster, the berry, and the seeds was also carried out using the descriptor list for grapevine cultivars and Vitis species of the OIV. Other parameters considered appropriate for a full description of these cultivars were also measured.