From ancient to modern grapevine cultivars: a lesson from cultivars that made the history of viticulture

Grapevine is an economically important fruit crop grown worldwide for winemaking, fresh consumption, and dried fruits. It is originated in the Eurasia region and is now cultivated globally. The mystery of whether the grapevine was domesticated only once, where and when the domestication took place, has led the scientific community to study the genetic diversity of the grapevine germplasm in an increasingly in-depth manner, using ever more sophisticated methods within ampelography (from the traditional morphology to the genome sequencing via molecular markers). Thanks to this huge work, we are getting closer to discovering the truth about grapevine domestication centers, to identify the main grapevine dispersion routes, the main relationship among cultivars and their pedigree. Now, what is next? How can information on grapevine biodiversity be exploited? Can this information be useful to design the modern cultivars? Can that data help viticulture to be sustainable? Human beings have inherited a very rich genetic heritage and in this review some answers on how to take advantage of this wealth are provided.