A Single Pair of Parents Proposed for a Group of Grapevine Varieties in Northeastern France

With the objective to identify previously unknown parental relationships among grapevine cultivars, 352 cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. were analyzed at 17 microsatellite loci. 29 were found to be duplicate genotypes of other cultivars. From the 323 unique genotypes, 89 possible pairs of parents were identified for 52 cultivars (i.e., each putative progeny cultivar shared at least one allele with each putative parent at each of the loci anlayzed). Sixty cultivars were then analyzed with an additional 15 microsatellite markers and from among these 24 possible pairs of parents were identified for 24 cultivars. Fourteen of the 24 (including Chardonnay, Gamay noir, Aligote, and Melon) are possible progeny of Pinot and Gouais blanc. Two cultivars (Aubin and Petit Meslier) are possible progeny of Gouais blanc and Savagnin (syn. Traminer) and three cultivars (Colombard, Meslier St-François and Balzac blanc) are possible progeny of Gouais blanc and Chenin. The possible parents of Syrah were also identified as Dureza and Mondeuse blanche.