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|  | Online
Magazine for
Wine Enthusiasts
August 2008 | |
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Publisher:
D'Vari Entertainment Group (Deg.Com
Communications) Editor:
Marisa D'Vari |
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Wine Fortune Press
The Secret Sex Life of Grapes
(c) By Marisa D'Vari Question:
What is the primary goal of a grape?
To reproduce, of course.
Now you may have heard back in the
day, feudal lords encouraged young villagers to drink and make merry
once the grapes were planted, hoping the resulting drunken coupling
would encourage a healthy, fertile harvest and produce a great wine.
Actually, the process is a bit more
complicated than that.
Grapes are hermaphrodites,
containing both male and female organs. Reproduction begins in the
flowers, which contain both male and female organs. When
the anthers (similar to testes) mature, they release pollen
(similar to sperm). In the natural world, Pollination occurs when
pollen, transported by wind, lands on the stigma of another grape
flower and transfers its genetic material via a tube into the ovary.
There, it combines with the genetic
material contained in the ovules (eggs) in the process of fertilization.
The fertilized ovules develop into seeds, and the ovary develops
into the surrounding flesh and skin of the grape.
Yet what happens when pollen from
a hearty Zinfandel, just blowing around in the wind, hooks up with
the stigma of a Chardonnay flower? Just as a human child inherits
traits from both parents and has his or her own genetic code, so
does the resulting grape from such a union.
This method of reproduction is known
in the scientific world as a crossing. Once created, the
crossing is a new variety and can only be propagated through cuttings.
What if you want to play Dr. Frankenstein and control the characteristics
of a crossing and influence levels of tannin, acidity, and sugars
within the grape? This laborious process of genetic modification
is known as hybridization and involves a great deal of trial
and error.
Once a satisfactory hybrid is produced,
the next step is to take a cutting, and allow it to grow
into a new vine with the same genetic code as its parent. Taking
a seed from the newly produced grape won't work, because the seed
will have the genetic code of both parents.
Though cloning is very accurate, mutations
do occur. When the mutations turn out to be satisfactory (Pinot
Blanc and Pinot Gris are mutations of the Pinot Noir grape) the
mutations themselves are cloned and given new names.
Currently, researchers are looking
at genetic modification as a way to defeat Pierce's disease,
delivered to the vine by a bug called the glassy winged sharpshooter.
Scientists are also using genetic modification to give grapes the
necessary characteristics to grow in areas such as the desert of
Nevada.
So is genetic modification of grapes
a good thing? Currently it's a hotly debated issue in the wine world,
and forbidden in many countries.
Yet consultants are reaping the financial
rewards of helping winemakers win medals, score Parker points, and
charge higher prices for their wines by modifying the genetic code
of their grapes.
If the future is here, the question
is: what's next?
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1994 - 2008 (c)Deg.Com Communications - All rights reserved
contact
mdvari@deg.com for reprints
Story@AWineStory.com
Deg.Com Communications
New York, NY
Please email for a phone appointment 212 823 6256 M-F 9-5
Copyright FAQ at http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
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