DNA extracted from ancient grape seeds about 2,000 years oldfound in wells in the Tuscan town of Cetamura del Chianti, allowed us to reconstruct the origins of modern wine and its genetic history.
The result, published in the scientific journal Journal of Archaeological Science by a team of researchers led by the University of York, in the United Kingdom, demonstrates that the ancient vineyards cultivated in that region were part of a sophisticated agricultural network developed by the Roman Empire, which laid the foundations for current wine production.
The researchers, led by Oya Inanli, sequenced the DNA of 80 seeds covering a period between approximately andl 300 BC and 300 AD
The seeds were thrown by the inhabitants of the area into deep wells, where the oxygen-deprived mud allowed their exceptional conservation for centuries.
The vast majority of the samples analyzed belong to a single grape variety, transmitted from the Etruscans to the Romans and maintained for generations.
«We were also able to go a step further with genetic analysis and determine the color of these ancient grapes,» Inanli explained.
«The markers revealed that this dominant and long-lived clone produced white berries«.
ancient species
After the Roman conquest of the settlement, new varieties were also introduced from the south of France, a territory incorporated into the expanding empire.
According to the authors, this constitutes proof of the extensive agricultural trade network developed by Rome with the aim of standardizing wine production in different regions.
Among the seeds recovered in Cetamura, the researchers also identified one belonging to a family of strains that are still cultivated today in central and eastern Europe.
Its closest modern relative is a rare gray-skinned grape variety native to Hungary, called «Baratchuha grey».
However, this seed is also directly related to a famous 400-year-old vine that grows in Slovenia and is officially recognized as the oldest in the world still capable of producing fruit.
ANSA Agency.
GML
