Grapevine genetic resources for a sustainable viticulture

Plant material choice is a cornerstone in the wine system because it is a crucial driver of sustainability (especially economic and environmental). Grapevine germplasm is quite wide, mostly represented by Vitis vinifera cultivars (about 13,600 registered in databases), followed by interspecific hybrids (about 8,300 registered in databases) and cultivars of species other than V. vinifera (about 1,500 registered in databases). Conservation of genetic resources is provided by databases, commercial vineyards, in situ (on-farm preservation) and ex situ (collections) conservation. The most grown cultivar in the world is ‘Kyoho’, a table grape interspecific hybrid grown in China, followed by ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, ‘Sultanina’ (Thompson Seedless) and ‘Merlot’ (about 6,000 V. vinifera cultivars are grown). This large variability is important in terms of sustainability because the larger the grapevine diversity, the more resilient the grape/wine system, especially for future generations. An outlook on the new disease-resistant/tolerant cultivars is provided, as a tool to improve environmental sustainability.