Origin and characterization of Montenegrin grapevine varieties

Abstract

Viticultural tradition in Montenegro dates back before the Roman period. Viticulture and winemaking of Montenegro is still mainly based on autochthonous grapevine varieties ('Vranac', 'Kratošija', 'Krstač' and 'Žižak'). Relevant historical data concerning the origin of Montenegrin grapevine varieties, as well as Montenegrin germplasm characterization reviews are reported in this paper. The available literature data indicate a long tradition and an important breeding history of grapevine evaluation in Montenegro, especially concerning 'Vranac' and 'Kratošija'. Through international projects, by ampelographic analysis and DNA profiles, the originality of 'Vranac', 'Žižak' and 'Krstač' varieties was confirmed, while it was found that 'Kratošija' has the same genetic profile as 'Primitivo', 'Zinfandel' and 'Crljenak Kaštelanski'. According to the literature and to the exploration in vine growing regions, it can be concluded that Montenegro has a very rich grapevine germplasm, yet not investigated enough. Further works on Montenegrin germplasm will contribute to the better evaluation of the grapevine genetic resources of Montenegro, and, therefore, to the enrichment of grapevine diversity in Europe.