Armenia: historical origin of domesticated grapevine

The habit of regular, moderate wine consumption, particularly with meals, is associated with protective effects from coronary heart disease. Epidemiological studies looking at myocardial protection/recovery focus mainly on the effects of red wine due to its high content in antioxidants, especially polyphenols. In several previous studies, conducted in our laboratory, we have concentrated on the effects of moderate consumption of white wine, by experimental animals (rats), gaining a significant experience in technical and procedural challenges. The scientific literature, and our past experience, suggests that rats are resilient towards consumption of full bodied, barrique red wines.

Evidence indicates that climate change affects the environment, human health, and well-being via drought, increasing greenhouse effect, and climatic catastrophes. As the wine sector is also negatively affected by climate change, the role of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies is important in wine production. One example of an adaptation policy is the implementation of grapevine genetics (duchene, 2016), while organic farming may be used as an approach to mitigate the consequences of climate change (vinci et al., 2022). To this end, the european commission’s objective is to reach the european green deal target of at least 25% of the european union’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030.

Armenia, a small country in the South of the Caucasus, has been rediscovering its wine-growing past since the discovery in 2007 of archaeological wine-growing remains dating back around 8,000 years. They are among the oldest in the world. Despite a great diversity of grape varieties, Armenian winegrowers did not have sufficiently organized genetic collections to produce plants and satisfy the growing demand for planting.

Modern winemakers must ensure effective alcoholic fermentation without losing the intrinsic biodiversity of the different oenological contexts. In this sense, the population of saccharomyces cerevisiae characteristic of wineries that traditionally do not use selected yeasts can represent an interesting reservoir of biodiversity.

Astringency is one of the leading quality factors in red wines.