Recovery, conservation, economic and touristic valorisation of autochthonous grapevine germplasm in the experience of Apulia Region (Italy)

Apulia, a southern Italian region overlooking the Adriatic and Ionian seas with 865 km of coastline, stretching towards the Mediterranean, for geographical, climatic and historical reasons is particularly rich in germplasm, with a vast heritage of unique varieties for wine and table grapes. If the extensive clonal and sanitary selection programs, starting from the 1970s, made possible the valorisation of the main local varieties at the basis of regional denominations, the recent attention to the agrobiodiversity protection met the interest of consumer and markets for new products and wines by minor and neglected varieties. Since 2012, three successive integrated projects for the agrobiodiversity of the Mediterranean crops, funded by the Rural Development Plan of Apulia Region, enabled the research institutions to explore all the region, plant new collection fields, acquire new equipment and facilities for the conservation and the study of regional germplasm. The project “Recovery of Apulian grapevine germplasm” (ReGeViP) promoted the Apulian viticultural heritage ABSTRACT through historical, sanitary, morphological, genetic, and technological studies/analyses aimed to identify, recover, characterize, and protect interspecific and intra-varietal biodiversity under genetic erosion, providing also sanitation and official registration to the National Catalogue of Vine Varieties. Within the germplasm conservation centre of Locorotondo, in the charming frame of Itria Valley, the ancient stone buildings, such as trulli, lamie and a snow house, have been restored and transformed in a "Widespread Museum of Biodiversity" aimed to attract and welcome visitors among ancient varieties, premultiplication, breeding and experimental fields, like in an open-air classroom; wine tasting and the storytelling about memories and traditions of regional germplasm and local communities, complete a full and unique enotouristic experience. In a multifunctional approach, the experience of Apulia demonstrates how the protection of viticultural biodiversity, through the exploitation of the minor genetic resources, could became a concrete opportunity of sustainable economic development.