White grapes once dominated the hills of Chianti, the Italian region now world famous for its bold red Sangiovese wines. That is the unexpected finding from DNA analysis of 2,000-year-old grape seeds recovered from ancient wells in Tuscany.
The Roman roots of modern wine
Scientists at the University of York extracted genetic material from the seeds, which were buried in wells at a Roman era site in what is now the Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy. The DNA allowed them to map the most extensive genetic history of grapevines ever recovered from a single archaeological site. The results show that Roman vineyards were part of a sophisticated agricultural network that may have shaped the development of winemaking as we know it today.
White grapes, not red, in ancient Chianti
Local people in Chianti care deeply about their wine heritage. The region produces some of Italy's most celebrated red wines, and the Sangiovese grape is a point of pride. So it came as a surprise when the ancient seeds revealed that white grapes, not red, were the dominant variety grown there two millennia ago. The discovery challenges assumptions about the deep history of one of the world's most famous wine regions.
What the seeds tell us
The seeds were found in wells that had been used for water storage and later filled with refuse, preserving the organic material. The University of York team analyzed the DNA and compared it with modern grape varieties. They found genetic links between the ancient vines and grapes still used in winemaking today. This suggests that Roman viticulture was not a primitive forerunner but a sophisticated system that selected and propagated specific varieties, laying a foundation for modern wine production.
The findings offer a new window into how the Romans managed vineyards and traded wine across their empire. For residents of Chianti, the knowledge that their land once grew white grapes adds a layer of complexity to a story they thought they already knew.
