Characterization and Identification of Minority Red Grape Varieties Recovered in Rioja, Spain

Abstract

A research project to recover the minority varieties of Rioja was started in 1988 as grapevine biodiversity accumulated during the past centuries was diminishing. The selected vines were preserved within a germplasm bank. Ampelographic description according to 44 Internationale Organisation de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) characters and genetic characterization using 11 nuclear microsatellites markers were performed on each of the 45 red accessions at the germplasm bank in Logroño, Spain. In total, 26 different varieties were found by the ampelographic and genetic analysis and 24 of them were identified. The remaining two varieties did not match any other genetic profile in the Spanish or European microsatellite databases. The origin of the identified varieties is very diverse, indicating the importance of grape variety exchange that occurred during the last centuries. Minority varieties could play an important role in the future, considering their capacity to adapt to new climatic conditions and their specific wine profiles.