From near extinction to market distinction: Developing a methodology for the sustainable revival of heritage grapevine cultivars

Wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) are among the most sensitive crop to global warming. Elevated temperatures lessen the quality of the grapes and alter their distinctive traits. The threat is pushing winegrowers in Europe to look for new cultivars with greater resilience to climate change.

Arid regions with longstanding winegrowing traditions are ideal for locating endemic grapevines that are resilient to high temperatures.

With its storied history of sustainable dryland viticulture, the Negev desert in southern Israel is a prime location to hunt for novel heritage cultivars that over the centuries were bred for their ability to adapt to prevailing arid conditions.

In our preceding ERC project, we examined agricultural and settlement intensification and collapse in the Negev during late Antiquity. We discovered via DNA testing that grape seeds excavated at an 8th C.

CE Byzantine archaeological site in the Negev matched with heritage grape cultivars that still grow feral in the region.

The current PoC aims to further these findings by formulating a multidisciplinary model for reviving bygone heritage cultivars.

Concentrating on the Negev but intending for the broader application of our methodology, we will (1) plan for the efficient commercialisation of our genomic-based approach for matching bygone-but-hardy endemic cultivars with their nearest living relatives, (2) provide proof-of-concept by growing the revived grape cultivars in a Negev vineyard, (3) produce novel ‘Negev Wine’ from feral grape cultivars that will be the first heritage-based commercial wine in Israel that is also in accordance with the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) platform of the EU, (4) compile ample documentation of the dynamic and initiate an IPR protection process while, (5) involving external stakeholders in the applied integration within the wine sector of our ‘from near extinction to market distinction’ methodology.