07/13/05 Clones

Welcome to vine to wine, this is your host Linda Moran, and on today's program we will be looking into what diverse grape clones are offering the winemaker. To begin with, most of us drink wine and don't think much about how it was made, never mind where the grapes were grown or least of all what type of clone the grapevine was. But, for the grape grower and the winemaker, it is a very interesting topic. Good for us! We don't even think about it and they take care of us by making great wine that is a result of all of that science. The science is what is behind this topic. You see each grape varietal is not only different one from the other, but within any one variety there are many variations, and they may differ in ways such as ripening time or the taste or smell of the fruit. They may also be a sub-variety that is better suited to a cooler or hotter climate or growing site. The propagation of these sub-varieties from the mother plant is called cloning, and clonal selection is based upon the specific qualities provided by that clone. It all depends upon what characteristics the grower and winemaker are looking for. What this offers the winemaker, has been described as, "a spice rack of options", full of choices to make the wine more interesting and hopefully unique. What it offers the grape grower are varieties that are best suited for the site upon which they are growing the grapes. I guess we just don't always realize how much is going into that glass of wine we enjoyed last evening. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.