|
|  |
 |
|
|
|
Cabernet Sauvignon may have Greek roots
September 24, 2007
By Maggie Rosen
Cabernet Sauvignon is a direct descendant of an obscure Greek wine grape known as Volitsa, a new book suggests.
In Desert Island Wines, Miles Lambert-Gocs proposes that Cabernet Sauvignon made its way to Europe via the coastal region of what is now Albania. He believes this link has never been explored.
Lambert-Gocs became convinced that Volitsa was the modern name for an ancient grape called Balisca. He then found relevant references in the Roman classical texts of Pliny and Columella. When combined with visual comparisons to modern Cabernet Sauvignon, he believes this evidence is enough to merit exploring the DNA.
'I have pointed out a solid possibility of Cabernet's tie to antiquity and classical Greece,' Lambert-Gocs told decanter.com. 'It will be good to have DNA proof - sort of a “family tree” - and I have provided a jumping off point.'
However, wine boffins are sceptical.
'I'm not convinced that there's a close connection at all,' said grape geneticist Carole Meredith, Professor Emerita at University of California, Davis. In 1996, Meredith discovered that Cabernet Sauvignon is a hybrid of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.
She said comparisons of the DNA profiles of Volitsa Mavri and Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon did not reveal any notable similarity.
'If there is a connection, it's not a close one and is no closer than the connections that undoubtedly exist among dozens of European grape varieties.'
Lambert-Gocs says he wrote the chapter precisely to encourage further scientific exploration.
'Volitsa is not identical to Cabernet Sauvignon. Rather, it is one of Cabernet Sauvignon's ancestors, and definitely the one that can concretely tie the variety to ancient Greece,' he said.
'If this does not motivate ampelographers and geneticists to visit the areas of Greece and Albania that are involved, I don't know what would.'
Have your say...
To post your comment on this story, email us at news@decanter.com, making sure the relevant headline is in the subject field
 There is always someone who doesn't believe in science. It has been established (beyond all reasonable doubt), by DNA profiling, that Cabernet Sauvignon's parents are Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Lars Jonsson, Gothenburg, Sweden
As an expert in grape DNA profiling and parentage analysis as well as a former postdoc at Prof. Meredith's lab, I confirm that 'Cabernet Sauvignon' cannot be a direct descendant of 'Volitsa'. If "direct descendant" means being a child or a grandchild, then it is absolutely not verified by DNA testing. Being a natural cross between 'Cabernet Franc' and 'Sauvignon Blanc', both french grapes, how could 'Cabernet Sauvignon' have made its way to Europe via Albania? This hypothesis is not supported by DNA studies. In answer to Mr. Lambert-Gocs, please be aware that ampelographers and geneticists did not wait until his unsubstantial hypothesis to study Greek and Albanian grapes. Several colleagues of mine have been working on this topic since the 90's. Dr José Vouillamoz, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
That's grapeism. If we are going to split hairs - and some nations can at least lay claim to more of those per capita - all grapes share a common ancesor. You guys are worse than my mother telling me that Nixon had a grand father who 'it just so happens used to drink kosher wine on a friday night' - doubtful he is decended from such courageous lineage...
Toby Ben-Shimon, Australia
I hope that interested persons will read my presentation in 'Desert Island Wine,' rather than just the decanter.com article about it. What my evidence demonstrates is that of the various grape varieties of the ancient world, as mentioned by Roman and Greek authors, the balisca/volitsa is far and away the most likely antique progenitor of what has evolved into cabernet sauvignon. I do not see that my presentation conflicts at all with Professor Meredith's indication that the balisca might also have contributed early on to the evolution of other modern varieties. Also, I wrote nothing that even remotely challenges her finding regarding cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc as cabernet sauvignon's immediate predecessors. In short, my presentation is about very old history, so old, indeed, that DNA may be of no relevance. But it might nevertheless prove to have some significance for historians of the vine and wine.
Miles Lambert-Gocs
Since winemaking serendipitously originated in Persia or Neolithic China, and vinifera is a Eurasian (not European) species, what would be remarkable about cabernet franc having [insert national adjective here] roots, however indirect they may be? For that matter, all Vitis species are descended from the North American Muscadinia genus, gaining 2 chromosomes along the way (think back to the epoch of the supercontinent Pangaea). Moreover, is the balisca synonymous with the biturica grape Pliny wrote of? Is biturica really Iberian (Spanish)? I'm not sure how confirmation of these details would increase disease resistance of current varietals, prevent the desertification of current vinifera regions over the next century, or improve my experience of drinking a contemporary cabernet. I suppose this debate secures employment for some, or sells some books, so please carry on, in the name of economics.
Derrick Gilliland, Charleston, SC, USA
It is apparent that some persons will find my presentation about volitsa and cabernet to be wine trivia at its most trivial. I understand that view, which is why I labeled the chapter 'Wine Bore Bonus.' But the alternative was to not set forth information that might be useful to wine historians, and which no one else was likely to uncover any time soon. As for the 'value' of what I presented, it is that we now have more knowledge about the balisca and its role in wine history than for any other grape variety mentioned by the Classical writers. Obviously, people will have varying opinions about the worth of that, depending on their interests. But not to set that information out when I had it in my hands was simply out of the question.
Miles Lambert-Gocs, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
|
|
Register on decanter.com absolutely free for news alerts delivered direct to your email inbox, and our fortnightly newsletter with advance notice of what's coming up in Decanter magazine, offers, competitions and more.
PLUS registration is a one-stop shop for the Decanter magazine Archive and Decanter Fine Wine Tracker. |
Search for similar news stories
Back to index
|
|
|
|
|
