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| Vitis International Variety Catalogue | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vitis International Variety Catalogue |
| Type | Database |
| Language | English |
| Country | International |
| Established | 1996 |
| Owner | Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof |
Vitis International Variety Catalogue
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue is an online repository documenting grapevine Vitis cultivars and grape-related genetic resources maintained by the Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof, connecting collections and researchers from institutions such as the United States Department of Agriculture, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, University of California, Davis, and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. It provides standardized information used by breeders, ampelographers, nurseries, and heritage projects including collaborations with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Biodiversity Heritage Library, European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR), and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. The catalogue supports comparative work across germplasm repositories, conservation programs, and legal frameworks such as plant variety protection referenced by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants and regulatory agencies including national Ministry of Agriculture (France), United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, and regional authorities.
The catalogue compiles taxonomic entries for grapevine cultivars, rootstocks, and wild relatives with data fields linking to specimens, synonyms, photographic records, and passport data from repositories like the National Clonal Germplasm Repository (Davis, California), Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute, Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and the Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura. Each entry cross-references genetic resources held at collections such as the Vine and Wine Research Centre (Sicily), Australian Wine Research Institute, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, and private archives including the Fondazione Edmund Mach. The platform interlinks cultivar names with historical records from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, British Library, Smithsonian Institution, and ampelographic descriptions by authors such as Pierre Galet, Lucie Morton, and Jancis Robinson.
Initiated in the mid-1990s by personnel at Geilweilerhof and collaborators from International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and national collections including National Institute of Agricultural Botany, the catalogue evolved through projects funded by the European Union, partnerships with the Food and Agriculture Organization, and technical cooperation with the Max Planck Society and Helmholtz Association. Early compilers drew on classical ampelography from Louis Ravaz, archival materials from the Vitis vinifera research community, and molecular studies by groups at INRA Montpellier, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, and UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology to incorporate DNA-based identifiers. The database architecture was progressively updated using standards from the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), digital specimen protocols of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network, and metadata conventions employed by the European Nucleotide Archive and GenBank.
Entries include cultivar designation, synonyms, country of origin, breeder or discoverer citations such as Pierre Viala, Loïc Levadoux, and Massimo D’Onofrio, morphological descriptors from ampelographic keys by Galet and Giuseppe Poni, and molecular marker profiles reported by teams at University of Adelaide, CSIRO, University of Bordeaux, and SRA (Sequence Read Archive). The structure supports linkage to herbarium specimens at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and genetic accessions in collections like INRAE Domaine de Vassal, USDA ARS National Plant Germplasm System, Italian National Germplasm Repository, and the Geilweilerhof vine collection. Data fields align with standards from IPGRI, passport descriptors used by EURISCO, and phenological records maintained by seasonal networks including International Phenological Gardens.
Nomenclature follows rules established by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants and cross-references cultivar names recorded by historical ampelographers such as Victor Rendu, Philippe de Vilmorin, and modern registries including the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin. Synonymy lists reconcile names from national registries like the Italian National Catalogue of Grapevine Varieties, French National Catalogue, Spanish Register of Varieties, and regional inventories maintained by institutions such as Centre for Genetic Resources, The Netherlands (CGN). Taxonomic decisions incorporate genetic fingerprinting studies by research groups at INRAE, University of Bordeaux Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Julius Kühn-Institut, and collaborative projects with the National Research Council (Italy).
The catalogue provides public access via a web interface with search tools, downloadable datasets, and image galleries while coordinating data exchange with portals such as GBIF, EURISCO, FAO's WIEWS, and the European Nucleotide Archive. Policies respect material transfer frameworks used by Bioversity International, CGIAR centres, and national quarantine rules enforced by agencies like the Animal and Plant Health Agency (UK), USDA APHIS, and European Plant Protection Organization. Technical integrations use identifiers compatible with DOI registration practices, persistent URIs aligned with Global Change Master Directory, and metadata mapping to Darwin Core standards.
Researchers in viticulture, oenology, conservation biology, and population genetics from institutions including University of California, Davis, University of Adelaide, University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, and University of Milan utilize the catalogue for studies on cultivar provenance, pedigree reconstruction, and resilience breeding. The resource supports applied projects at wineries like Château Margaux, Antinori, and cooperatives in La Rioja, grape breeding programs led by Vinebreeders and regulatory decisions by appellation bodies such as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)]. Its datasets underpin conservation prioritization in regional seed banks, restoration work in historic vineyards associated with the Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny and cataloging efforts by wine museums like the Museo del Vino.
The catalogue maintains partnerships with research institutes including INRAE, USDA ARS, Università di Udine, University of Stellenbosch, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), botanical gardens like Botanical Garden of Padua, and networks such as the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR), Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV). Collaborative projects involve funding and technical exchange with entities such as the European Commission, FAO, Biodiversity Heritage Library, and national ministries including Ministry of Agriculture (Italy), Ministry of Agriculture (Spain), and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan).
Category:Databases Category:Grapevines Category:Plant genetic resources