Ampelography

Objectives and competences

Ampelography aims to:
• implement the knowledge of the students with some deep informations about the Vitacee family, and milestones of the genetic research related with the development of new varieties resistant to diseases;
• teach the students how to recognise the main international and autochthonous varieties by using properly the OIV descriptors;
• allow the students to decide about the best combination of clones to plant as related with the typology of wine to produce.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of plant biology and physiology.

Content

LECTURES

• characteristic of Vitaceae family
• classification of grapevine according to geographical origin;
• description and classification methods; comparison of classical botanical methods with biochemical and molecular methods;
• methods for establishing relationship within and among grape cultivars;
• general characteristics of the most important grapevine variety and rootstocks;
variety characteristics linking to viticulture and enology practice; grapevine breeding; American and French hybrid direct producers, Vitis amurensis complex hybrids, genetically transformed rootstocks;
• maintaining of the grapevine diversity, indigenous varieties;
• grapevine variety list in Slovenia

TUTORIALS
During the tutorials students will describe the chosen variety by the OIV (Office International de la Vigne et du Vin) descriptors and philometry, their descriptions will be compared with the descriptions in the literature and in the european vitis database. There will also be two days of field work, where students will visit a vineyard collections and learn how to recognise main varieties and rootstocks. All informations acquired will be used to prepare a seminar presented to their classmates.

Intended learning outcomes

• student upgrades the knowledge in ampelography.
• he will get skills helpful to recognise varieties and rootstocks.
• he will meet cultivar characteristics, clone diversities enabling them to decide on the proper viticulture and enology technology.
• he will understand the complexity of modern hybrids and the challenge of genetics for the future

Readings

• Keller, M. 2010. The Science of Grapevines – Anatomy and Physiology. Elsevier: Academic Press, Burlington, MA. Catalogue
• Fregoni, M., 1998. Viticoltura di Qualità. Stampa Grafiche Lama, Piacenza. Catalogue
• Mullins M.G., Bouquet A., Williams L.E. 1992. Biology of the grapevine. Cambridge University Press, UK. 239 pp. Catalogue
• Galet, P. Grape Varieties and Rootstock Varieties. 320 s.
• The European Vitis Database. E-version
• Registro Nazionale delle Varietà di Vite. E-version
• Zecca G., Abbott J.R., Sun W.B., Spada A., Sala F., Grassi F. 2012. The timing and the mode of evolution of wild grapes (Vitis). Mol Phylogenet Evol. 62(2):736-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2011.11.015 E-version
• Materials on moodle.

Assessment

Multiple choice questions on moodle (30 %) Variety recognition in pictures or in field (30 %) PowerPoint presentation of 1 grape variety with history, geography, ampelographic descriptors, principal clones and enological purposes (40 %)

Lecturer's references

Dr. Sivilotti is associate professor for the field of Viticulture at University of Nova Gorica.

Selected publications:

Crespan M., Fabbro A., Giannetto S., Meneghetti S., Petrussi C., Del Zan F. and Sivilotti P. (2011). Recognition and genotyping of minor germplasm of Friuli Venezia Giulia revealed high diversity. Vitis. 50(1):21-28. ISSN: 0042-7500.
Sivilotti P. , Petrussi C. and Stocco M. (2013). Le viti dimenticate. Un patrimonio di vecchie varietà riscoperto in Friuli Venezia Giulia. ERSA, Pozzuolo del Friuli, Italy. 168 pp. ISBN: 978-88-89402-46-7.