Four to Six Leaves Unfurling: Amateur Ampelography

Our vineyard is coming along. When we are hoeing, we take a look at the condition of our grapevines and they are at various stages of growth. Some of the more advanced representatives of each variety are shown below. I find it really difficult to tell them apart at this stage of growth.

In 1999, research done by Prof. Carole Meredith and her team using DNA typing established the relationship between Auxerrois and Chardonnay. They are siblings, with Pinot noir and Gouais blanc parentage. Although they are siblings, the new leaves of Auxerrois exhibit a copper color that can distinguish it from it's sibling, Chardonnay which have a spotted pink border.¹

The outlier among our varieties is Chenin blanc. In reading the comprehensive compendium Wine Grapes written by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz, they write that Chenin blanc is the offspring of Savagnin and an unknown parent. DNA analysis also shows that Savignon blanc and Chenin blanc are siblings.² We'll be up on our land again today for more hoeing and amateur ampelographying.
References:
1. Bowers, J., Boursiquot, J.M., This, P., Chu, K., Johansson, H., & Meredith, C, Historical Genetics: The Parentage of Chardonnay, Gamay, and Other Wine Grapes of Northeastern France, Science: 285, 1999, pp 1562 - 1565.
2. J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, pg 236, Allen Lane 2012 ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2.