Grapes Were Probably The First Fruit Domesticated By Humans

Grapes Were Probably The First Fruit Domesticated By Humans

Share to Linkedin Scientists have unearthed more information on the origins of wine, using genomics to discover that grapevines were first domesticated simultaneously in two separate regions of the world around 11, 000 years ago Three glasses with white, rose and red wine on a wooden barrel in a vineyard. The earliest archaeological evidence for viticulture and wine drinking was unearthed around 8, 000 years ago in the Caucasus, but the origin of grapevine domestication has remained mysterious, until now. Using genomics, scientists report that grapevines were first domesticated simultaneously in two separate geographic regions shortly after the glaciers retreated around 11, 000 years ago. At this time, it appears that Neolithic farmers began cultivating the best vines with the biggest, juiciest grapes. To learn more about the route that domesticated grapevines followed, a genomic analysis of grapevine varieties was conducted by an extremely large and varied international scientific collaboration (89 scientists!!) from 23 institutions across 17 countries. This research, which was primarily conducted during the pandemic lockdown, identified two separate domestication events for grapes that led to their use in winemaking. According to the data, these domestication events occurred more or less simultaneously, about 1000 km (620 mi) apart