By Carissa Wong.
The grapes are ready for harvest.
The photo is alika/Shutterstock.
The grapevines that were first domesticated in the South Caucasus region of western Asia may be the origin of the grapes used to make European wines. The wine grapes interbred with local European wild populations to adapt to different European climates.
The origins of grapes that are used in Europe and elsewhere to produce wine have been debated for a long time.
The domestication of grapes in western Asia around 7000 years ago is thought to have caused the emergence of European wine grapes.
A genetic analysis carried out by Gabriele Di Gaspero at the Institute of Applied Genomics in Udine, Italy, suggests that European wine grapes originated from domesticated grapes.
