Ensuring Trueness to Type of some Alternative Varieties

Abstract

This project has developed the initial National Register of Wine Grape Varieties; a data base that lists those varieties in Australia that have been DNA tested to verify their identity. This project will thus assist growers to have a high level of confidence that the specific clones of those varieties tested are true to type. With the expansion and maintenance of a National Register of Wine Grape Varieties, the significant risk that growers face in trying to be innovative and manage change in their environment via use of new varieties will be reduced.

Summary

There is currently a high level of interest in the industry in new and alternative grapevine varieties. As they are new to the industry relatively little is known of either their agronomic or ampelographic characteristics. To avoid any mistaken identity or a recurrence of the recent Albariño mistake, it is important to verify their varietal trueness to type. This project  proposed to coordinate a testing of mother vines of those varieties deemed by the industry to be most in demand, by the use of DNA testing, in support of Wine Australia’s Label Integrity Program, and ancillary to the current Wine Australia Project GWR 1002 (Australian Vine Quality Assurance Program) carried out by Peter Hayes.

In addition there was a three way comparative test of three of these varieties (less than originally stated due to financial constraints) using the three known commercial DNA testing facilities, the Plant Identification Laboratory, Foundation Plant Services, University of California, Davis (UCD), USA, the Institut Francaise de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV), in Montpellier, France and the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), in Adelaide. The other varieties went to the French testing facility only, which at this stage has been assessed as having the most extensive and verified reference data base and is considerably cheaper.

This testing aims to develop an initial National Register of Wine Grape Varieties that will be publically accessible and held by a relevant industry body.