wein - sigihiss

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Donnerstag, 13. Dezember 2007

syrah & viognier
Von wein-sigihiss, 13:51

On Saturday 8 December presented his latest, ground-breaking DNA research findings on the origins of rare alpine grape varieties to the General Assembly of the Centre d'Ampélographie Alpine Pierre Galet [the Pierre Galet centre for alpine ampelography] in Cevins in the Savoie region of France. (Vouillamoz is a member of the centre's scientific board.)

Viognier is the exclusive grape of Condrieu and is often blended with Syrah in Côte-Rôtie, and more recently in some top Shiraz wines in Australia, for example. The origin of Viognier, now cultivated worldwide, was previously unknown. According to Professor Pierre Galet, some authors suggested that Viognier was introduced by emperor Probus from Croatia, where it is still cultivated under the name Vugava Bijela.

Dr Vouillamoz refuted this hypothetical identity by DNA profiling and revealed for the very first time that his DNA analysis at 63 microsatellite markers showed that Viognier has a parent–offspring relationship with Mondeuse Blanche, an old and rare grape from Savoie in France. This means, most surprisingly, that Viognier is either the parent or offspring of Mondeuse Blanche, which invalidates a hypothetical Croatian origin for Viognier. However, it is impossible to determine which is the parent and which is the offspring without knowing the other parent – and it is highly likely that this other parent is extinct.

Here’s the background: in 2000, researchers at UC Davis and INRA Montpellier showed that Syrah is a natural offspring of Dureza from Ardèche and Mondeuse Blanche from Savoie. (Mondeuse Blanche is not a mutation of Mondeuse Noire, as explained in the Oxford Companion to Wine and developed below.)

Therefore there are two equally likely possibilities:

1.1 If Viognier is the parent of Mondeuse Blanche, then Viognier is a grandparent of Syrah.

1.2 If Viognier is an offspring of Mondeuse Blanche, then Viognier is a

half-brother (or half-sister) of Syrah.

In the second half of the 20th century, ampelographers such as the brilliant Louis Levadoux and his successor Jean Bisson had already noticed that Viognier and Syrah belonged to the same ampelographical group called Sérines. Vouillamoz’s DNA analysis confirms their classification and shows exactly how Viognier and Syrah are related.

Dr Vouillamoz’s second (and less unexpected) announcement was that DNA analysis at 63 microsatellite markers also showed a parent-offspring relationship between Mondeuse Blanche and Mondeuse Noire. This explains why they share the same name and also why Mondeuse Noire is sometimes called Grosse Sirah, because:

2.1 If Mondeuse Noire is the parent of Mondeuse Blanche, then Mondeuse Noire is a grandparent of Syrah.

2.2 If Mondeuse Noire is an offspring of Mondeuse Blanche, then Mondeuse Noire is a half-brother (or half-sister) of Syrah.

If you put both findings together you get the following possibilities, also shown in the diagram below.

3.1 If Mondeuse Noire is the parent of Mondeuse Blanche, then Mondeuse Noire is a grandparent of Syrah and Viognier, and Viognier must be a half-brother (or half-sister) of Syrah.

3.2 If Viognier is the parent of Mondeuse Blanche, then Viognier is a grandparent of Syrah and Mondeuse Noire, and Mondeuse Noire must be a half-brother (or half-sister) of Syrah.

Dr Vouillamoz said: ‘Interestingly, some of the best wine grape blends often involve related cultivars: Cabernet Franc and its progenies Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Bordeaux, Syrah and its half-brother (or grandfather) Viognier in Côte-Rôtie, Sangiovese and its father Ciliegiolo in Chianti, Nebbiolo and its progeny Nebbiolo Rosé in Barolo, etc. Paternity research discoveries could thus provide new ideas for successful blends, such as Syrah with its father Dureza, of which there's less than a hectare planted in the Ardèche, or Zinfandel with its Croatian son Plavac Mali.’

Dr José Vouillamoz’s research was undertaken at the Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige (Trentino, Italy) and at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and we are grateful to him for these ampelographic revelations.

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