Pinot Noir, an emblematic grape variety of French vineyards, has changed very little over the last 600 years, preserved by winegrowers through clonal propagation techniques like cuttings, according to a study tracing the genome of grape seeds found on archaeological sites that identified Pinot Noir in the same genetic form in a medieval rubbish pit in Valenciennes, northern France. Based on 54 grape seeds dating from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages, the study sketches a family tree for different grapes in French vineyards and maps exchanges of cuttings around the Mediterranean. DNA analysis of grape seeds reveals long-distance exchanges of domesticated grape varieties originating from Spain, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Middle East.
Vegetative propagation, evidenced by genetically identical clones found on different sites over centuries, emerged around the middle of the Iron Age and has become a cornerstone of viticultural practice. Scientists do not know whether inhabitants of 15th-century Valenciennes consumed the grapes as juice, wine, or table grapes.