Researchers in Israel have identified grape seeds that have been cultivated for at least 1,100 years, even in Greece!

The genetic link between two modern white and red grape varieties with grape varieties cultivated 1,100 years ago has been established by an international research team. Among these ancient seeds that were studied is one of the Syriki variety, which is cultivated to this day in Greece.

Earlier excavations at the archaeological site of Abdat in the Negev desert in southern Israel revealed a thriving wine industry from the 4th to the 9th century AD in this and other major cities of the time. Finds include large wine presses and wine storage jugs, and it is estimated that wine production gradually declined after the Muslim conquest of the region in the 7th century AD, and grape cultivation resumed mainly from the 1980s onwards.

Another important find came to light during the excavation: a large hoard of grape seeds on the floor of a sealed room. The seeds were preserved relatively well thanks to protection from climatic effects such as extreme temperatures, floods or dehydration.

An international team of researchers from the Tel Aviv University Museum of Natural History and Haifa University, as well as from other institutions in France, Denmark and the United Kingdom, analyzed the DNA of 16 ancient seeds from this archaeological site, as well as from two other archaeological sites in the desert, at the Paleogenetics Laboratory of Tel Aviv University’s Steinhardt Museum of Natural History of the Negev (Sivta and Nesana), but also from a Byzantine shipwreck off the coast of northern Israel. The results were then compared to databases of modern vines from around the world.

The study, the conclusions of which are presented by APE-MPE, was published in the scientific journal PNAS.

As the researcher notes Meirav Meiri, head of the Ancient Animal and Plant DNA Laboratory of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, in this laboratory the analyzes are carried out under special conditions. “It’s an isolated clean lab, with positive air pressure that keeps contaminants out and we go into it in sterile “spacesuits”, familiar to everyone since the Covid pandemic».

In eleven seed samples the quality of the genetic material was too poor to allow definitive conclusions. Of the remaining five, all from Abdat, three specimens were identified as generally belonging to local varieties. The two highest quality samples, dating to around 900 AD, were the ones that provided the most information, as they were identified as belonging to specific grape varieties that still exist today.

In fact, one seed is almost identical to the Syriki variety that is still used today to make red wine in Greece and Lebanon. It is a variety of red grape that in Greece is cultivated in the Peloponnese, the Ionian, Crete and the Cyclades, both as food and for making wine, sometimes mixed with other varieties, such as Phokiano.

The second seed, the oldest white grape seed identified to date, is related to the Be’er white grape variety that still grows in the sands of Palmachim on the coast of Israel in remnant vineyards that were probably abandoned in the mid-20th century. The variety, endemic to the land of Israel, is used today by a winery to make a special white wine.

These findings shed light on the historical Byzantine trade networks, while the researchers speak of a particularly exciting discovery. “The great thing about Paleogenetics is that sometimes tiny objects can tell a big story. This is exactly what happened in this study. With just a little bit of DNA extracted from two grape seeds we were able to trace the continuity of the local wine industry, from the Byzantine period, over 1,000 years ago, to the present day,” explains Ms Meiri.

And he adds: “Our study opens new avenues for restoring and improving ancient landraces to create wine grape varieties that are better suited to harsh climates such as high temperatures and low rainfall».