Ancient DNA shows Chianti was built on white grapes before red wine defined the region

Ancient DNA recovered from grape seeds found in Chianti is reshaping the history of one of Italy’s best-known wine regions, suggesting that the area was once centered on white grapes long before it became identified with red wine.

Researchers analyzed 80 ancient grape seeds discovered in drinking wells at the hilltop settlement of Cetamura del Chianti in Tuscany. The seeds, dated to between 300 BCE and 300 CE, were preserved in oxygen-poor mud after falling into the wells, according to the team. Their findings were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

“We sequenced the DNA of 80 seeds and found a remarkable story of continuity,” Oya Inanli, the project leader from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, said in a statement reported by Reuters. She said a large majority of the tested seeds belonged to a single identical variety that was passed from the Etruscans to the Romans and maintained for centuries.

The genetic markers also allowed the researchers to identify berry color. “The markers revealed that this dominant, long-lived clone produced white berries,” Inanli said.

That result points to a long phase in which white grapes played a central role in Chianti, a region now globally associated with red wines. Nancy de Grummond of Florida State University, which also took part in the analysis, said the research adds “an important chapter” to the history of wine in Chianti. She said it was a surprise to learn that today’s famous red wine region had been preceded by a white-wine tradition maintained through both Etruscan and Roman times.

The study also found signs of change after Roman settlement expanded in Cetamura. According to the researchers, new grape varieties appeared in the area during that period, suggesting that Roman influence may have introduced favored vines into conquered territories.

Among the seeds was another sample linked to a family of grapes still grown in parts of Eastern Europe. The closest modern match identified by the researchers was Baratcsuha szurke, cultivated in Hungary, with direct links as well to Maribor vines grown in Slovenia.

Nathan Wales, also of the University of York, said those connections show how some ancient lineages may still survive in modern vineyards. He said wines made from such relic varieties offer a taste close to what may have been served at Roman tables thousands of years ago.

For the wine industry, the findings could matter beyond archaeology. Genetic evidence about early grape lineages in Chianti may help researchers and growers trace varietal origins more precisely, support conservation work on older or lesser-known vines and deepen the historical narrative that underpins one of Italy’s most important wine regions.

The discovery adds fresh scientific detail to a long-studied landscape where viticulture has deep roots, and it suggests that Chianti’s identity changed over time rather than emerging as a red-wine stronghold from the start.