Wine Wisdoms #25: I Don’t Mean to Drone, But This is a Clone
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 5:19:00 PM
by Erika S., Wine Enthusiast Companies
by Erika S., Wine Enthusiast Companies
Without getting too technical, a Clone is basically a sub-species or mutation of a grapevine. There are many species of grapevine (Vitis Vinifera being the most common for wine), and each has many clones within the species. The behavior of each clone varies in everything from fruit productivity to vigor and acidity levels. Certain clones are thought to produce better grapes and are grown together to produce an even better vine. Many vineyards have place markers that designate the particular clone in each row. Clonal selection is an important part of the growing process and it’s important that the clone fit the needs of the vineyard site and the winery.
Also featured in the March issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, available now.
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Filed under: Wine Wisdoms
3 Comments
3 Responses to “Wine Wisdoms #25: I Don’t Mean to Drone, But This is a Clone”
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March 11th, 2009 at 7:16:06 PM
How about listing some of the more famous clones. Would like to figure out what the better “mutant” wines are…
March 13th, 2009 at 1:14:12 PM
There are so many! It depends what’s best for the vineyard site, so it’s hard to say what the best are overall. One example though is the Dijon clone, used a lot for great Chardonnay because it is originally from Burgundy.
March 13th, 2009 at 4:11:57 PM
one of my personal favorites is Miner’s “777″. This is a Pinot Clone used for the exclusive Oracle line. They planted an entire vineyard of this clone and mix this grape in w/ two other lots that they have. If you haven’t tried it, you are definately missing out!