Protection of viticultural biodiversity: genetic and phenotypic characterisation of grapevine varieties from the northwest coastal area of Tuscany (Italy)

To explore the grapevine biodiversity of some minor viticultural districts located in the northwest coastal area of Tuscany, a total of 99 grapevine samples were collected from field borders or no longer cultivated areas and analysed at the molecular level using 12 microsatellite markers (SSR). The results revealed the presence of 58 unique genotypes among which 42 already known varieties (36 belonging to the Vitis vinifera species and 6 Vitis interspecific crosses) and 16 hitherto unreported genetic profiles. About 50 % of the accessions (52 out of 99) were vegetatively propagated and planted in a vineyard collection to protect them from extinction and to record their phenotypic characteristics. This research has highlighted the potential for using several grapevine cultivars that were probably once widespread and can henceforth be cultivated again to help revive the eco-wine tourism of the Tuscan heroic vineyards and add prestige to the local wine panorama.