Genetic Origin of the Grapevine Cultivar Tempranillo

Abstract

Tempranillo is the most important Spanish grapevine cultivar used for red wine production and it is currently planted in many other wine regions worldwide. Genotyping analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and microsatellite markers in grapevine germplasm collections has identified Albillo Mayor and Benedicto as the parents of Tempranillo. The statistical support for this conclusion is very high, with a LOD value of 138 for the joint estimation. Albillo Mayor is a well-known variety still cultivated in the central Iberian Peninsula. In contrast, Benedicto is rarely cultivated today and lacks historical references in the main Spanish viticulture literature. A search for putative offspring varieties derived from Tempranillo in a database containing most of the Spanish varieties identified only one variety, Coloraíllo, as a putative progeny of Tempranillo and Moravia Dulce (prime name Marufo). Analyses of chloroplast microsatellite markers identified Tempranillo as the male parent. In addition, one putative parent-offspring relationship was detected for each of the Tempranillo parents: Albillo Mayor is related to Castellana Blanca and Benedicto to Benedicto Falso de Aragón.