THE WINE GRAPE FAMILY VINE - INFOGRAPHIC

by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor of Spirited Table® -content & photo from Joshua Malin @joshtext  

1 MINUTE READ from...

What’s your favorite red wine? How about your favorite white? If you love some varieties and abhor others you might be surprised to find out that nearly all of the wines we drink on a regular basis are closely related. Specifically, we’re talking about shared DNA among the countless varieties of the Vitis vinifera family. In 2011, Dr. Sean Myles, of Cornell University, and a team of researchers, published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As Dr. Myles said at the time in numerous interviews, nearly all of the familiar wine varieties are all part of one family – parents, children and siblings. Explore the family vine below, and then head over to Wine 101 to learn more about many of the varieties included in the infographic as well as some others.

You can find the full key at the bottom of the infographic!

* Please note that genetic research of Vitis vinifera is ongoing, producing new and sometimes contradicting results.