摘要：The ancient wine varieties of the Levant have inspired beliefs and rituals in human societies. Despite their importance, the original Levantine wine-grape varieties were considered lost due to cultural turnovers commencing in the 7th century CE, leading to the collapse of a flourishing winemaking industry in this region. We generated whole-genome sequence data for a diversity panel of wild and domesticated grapevine accessions. Demographic models, pedigree analysis, and genome scans were conducted to estimate divergence among four distinct groups. Demographic models designated that the domestication in the Caucasus region predated the emergence of the Levantine varieties and that authentic descendants of ancient varieties are represented among the Levantine accessions. We further explored the pedigree relationship among domesticated grapevines and identified intriguing relationship between the “Chardonnay” variety and Levantine accessions. Genomic scans and genetic load analyses further supported the distinct lineage history of the Levantine and Eurasian accessions. Tracking the domestication history of crops is challenging especially in a perennial species like grapevine. Although the Levantine varieties represent a distinct genomic background, it remains unclear whether ancient extensive gene-flow or direct domestication of Levantine wild grapevines has sparked the emergence of the ancient Levantine varieties.
