The domestication of grapevines in Italy was a gradual process that spanned thousands of years.
A study published on April 23, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One, led by Mariano Ucchesu of the University of Montpellier, France, and colleagues, sheds light on this slow evolution.
Globally, grape cultivation produces approximately 80 million tons of fresh grapes and 26 billion liters of wine each year, with Italian wine being a major contributor. While the history of viticulture is well-documented in parts of Asia and Europe, there is a lack of data from the western Mediterranean region. To address this gap, Ucchesu and his team analyzed over 1,700 grape seeds from 25 archaeological sites across Italy, spanning seven millennia from the Neolithic to the Medieval Period, according to a press release.
Morphological analysis revealed that, at sites older than 1000 BC, nearly all grape seeds resembled modern wild grapevines in size and proportions, indicating that these grapes were likely gathered from the wild. Between 1000 BC and 600 AD, however, the majority of the seeds were closer in appearance to domesticated grape varieties, though there was considerable variation in seed size and proportions, as well as in the ratio of wild to cultivated grapes from one site to another. By the Medieval Period, beginning around 700 AD, domesticated grape seeds were abundant and closely resembled those of modern cultivated varieties.
These findings suggest that grape cultivation in Italy began during the Late Bronze Age, followed by a long period of gradual domestication. This likely involved the intermingling of wild and cultivated vines to create new, domesticated varieties. The authors note that while their findings align with previous genetic and archaeological research, further study across a broader range of archaeological sites is needed to fully understand the history of grape cultivation throughout the Mediterranean.
The authors noted that for the first time, this research has made it possible to trace the origins of viticulture in Italy. The emergence of the first domesticated grapes during the Bronze Age in Italian archaeological sites highlights a long-standing tradition of Italian winemaking within the wider context of Western Europe’s agricultural history.
This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Curie Fellowship (2021–2023, Agreement No. 101019563-VITALY) and supported by the ANR MICA project (grant agreement ANR-22-CE27-0026). The success of the study also owes much to the collaboration of archaeobotanical experts from CNRS-ISEM in Montpellier, as well as the Italian colleagues who generously contributed archaeobotanical materials and offered valuable advice and suggestions throughout the research. The study’s success also relies on the collaboration of CNRS-ISEM archaeobotanists in Montpellier and Italian colleagues who provided materials and valuable insights.
Read our 2025 story about vine vandalism here.
Read our 2021 cover story about how the latest breeding techniques are saving the taste of our most cherished grape vine varieties here.
