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Israeli researchers have found possible evidence of the earliest white grapes documented anywhere in the world in Israel's Negev Desert. Excavating a late-antique Byzantine settlement from the eighth century, the team led by Guy Bar-Oz from the University of Haifa found "huge communal wine presses" and many grape seeds. Genetic comparison with hundreds of modern varieties as well as wild and table grapes from Israel and other countries revealed that one of them probably came from a white grape variety. This would make it the first white grape to be documented worldwide, although previous work suggests that the white colour of some varieties has multiple origins.
It is possible that this grape variety is the hitherto unknown basis of Gaza wine (Vinum Gazetum), which was produced in the Negev desert in Byzantine times and shipped via the port of Gaza to German regions as well as France and Britain. Historical sources describe Gaza wine as "sweet white wine".
Bar-Oz and his team also discovered evidence that another of the ancient grape varieties is an ancestor of today's red variety Asswad Karech in nearby Lebanon. In Crete, a descendant of Asswad Karech was used to produce Malvasia wine, which was famous in the Middle Ages.
Another aspect of the research could provide valuable clues for dealing with extreme climatic conditions. As Bar-Oz explained, in the Negev "about 100 millimetres of rain fall in a good year, with rainfall varying greatly between seasons". Nevertheless, viticulture flourished in the area for centuries. Besides setting up complex irrigation systems, the desert dwellers knew which grape varieties to use in this exceptionally extreme climate for Vitis Vinifera. Molecular and genetic studies of desert grapes and their close relatives today may shed light on why they were so hardy in this arid environment.
(al / Source: Decanter)