Ancient DNA shows domesticated grapevines reached southern Iberia by 1000 BC

Researchers who analyzed grape seeds from the Iron Age say they have traced a key part of the origin of wine in the Iberian Peninsula, using ancient DNA to show that domesticated vines had reached southern Iberia by about 1000 BC and that some of those lineages remained linked to grape varieties grown today.

The study, described by Phys.org, was based on genetic material recovered from 28 ancient seeds. By extracting DNA and comparing it across samples, the team reconstructed family relationships among old vines and matched those findings against modern grape populations. The result, the researchers said, places the arrival of domesticated grapevines in the south of the peninsula much earlier in the historical record and points to long genetic continuity between ancient and present-day vines.

That continuity matters because it connects archaeology with a crop that still has major economic and cultural value. For wine producers and the wider drinks industry, the findings could offer a firmer scientific basis for understanding how Iberian grape varieties emerged, how long some lineages have persisted and which genetic traits may have been preserved over time. That, in turn, could help guide conservation work and future breeding efforts, although any practical use would depend on further research.

The central question in the study was how winegrowing took root in Iberia, a region that later became one of the most important wine-producing areas in Europe. Historians and archaeologists have long debated whether local communities mainly developed the practice from native wild vines, or whether domesticated vines were introduced from outside and then adapted over time. The seed DNA appears to support the second path at least in part, indicating that domesticated vines were already present in southern Iberia around the start of the first millennium BC.

The finding does not erase the role of local wild grapevines. Instead, it adds genetic evidence to a more complex picture in which introduced domesticated plants and regional vine populations may both have shaped the later history of Iberian wine. By reconstructing lineages rather than relying only on seed shape or archaeological context, the researchers were able to move beyond indirect clues and test how ancient vines were related to each other and to grapes cultivated now.

Ancient plant DNA can be difficult to recover, especially from material that has been buried for centuries in climates that do not always preserve genetic material well. That makes the recovery of usable DNA from Iron Age seeds notable on its own. In this case, the genetic evidence gave the researchers a way to compare archaeological remains directly with living grape varieties, narrowing the gap between prehistory and modern agriculture.

The study’s time frame is also important. Around 1000 BC, Mediterranean trade and cultural exchange were expanding, and southern Iberia was increasingly connected to outside networks. The new genetic evidence fits with the idea that grape cultivation, and likely the knowledge needed to manage domesticated vines, spread through those contacts. The researchers’ conclusions strengthen the case that the beginnings of Iberian wine were tied to broader movements of plants and farming practices across the Mediterranean world.

At the same time, the reported link to modern grapes suggests that the history of Iberian viticulture was not one of constant replacement. Some ancient genetic signatures appear to have survived through many centuries of cultivation, selection and regional change. That kind of persistence is significant because modern vineyards have been shaped by trade, disease, climate pressures and repeated replanting. Finding continuity despite those disruptions suggests that parts of the peninsula’s grape heritage may be deeper than written records alone can show.

The work may also draw attention to the value of archaeological collections in agricultural research. Seeds preserved at excavation sites are often treated mainly as evidence of diet, trade or land use. Genetic analysis allows them to answer a different set of questions about domestication, crop movement and biological ancestry. In the case of grapes, that can help explain not just when wine production began in a region, but how the plants behind that industry changed over time.

For today’s wine sector, the study is unlikely to change vineyard practices immediately, but it could shape how producers, breeders and conservation specialists think about Iberian varieties. If some living grapes retain close ties to ancient lineages, they may represent genetic resources worth protecting more carefully. Such information could eventually support efforts to preserve regional identity, study resilience traits and refine selection programs with a clearer view of the peninsula’s long agricultural history.

The study adds a genetic layer to a subject that has often relied on fragments of pottery, written accounts and the archaeology of settlements. By turning to seeds from the Iron Age, the researchers were able to place domesticated grapevines in southern Iberia about 3,000 years ago and to show that the roots of Iberian wine can still be detected in the DNA of grapes cultivated now.