Imagine a breeder browsing a grape chromosome nucleotide-by-nucleotide around a trait locus, scrolling
down the list of catalogued genes along a genetic interval, resequencing for a few thousand dollars a
potential parent or a selected breeding line. In the past couple of years, this vision has become a reality.
The availability of the reference genome sequence has provided significant assistance in the saturation of
loci with targeted genetic markers. Grape breeders are now offered unprecedented possibilities for
selecting plants using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences within or near the gene that controls a
desirable trait rather than handling their phenotypes. Genomics-assisted selection offers unique advantages
in the correct choice of elite genotypes, in order to improve traits for which limitations of
phenotyping technologies or low hereditability adversely affect the efficiency of phenotypic selection.
DNA technologies enable the application of marker-assisted selection to thousands of grape seedlings
every year, which was previously feasible only for cereals and annuals, enhancing the possibilities of
finding an ideal recombinant in populations bred from highly heterozygous parents. The expected
outcome is a renewal of the varietal choices available to viticulturists, with novel genotypes that meet the
demand for disease-free vines and flavourful grapes. The depth of exploration and characterisation of the
existing germplasm is crucial for translating natural diversity into new varieties that could perform
beyond the fence of the experimental vineyards and gain substantial market share. We review here how
current achievements in genomics and genome sequencing are expected to increase the efficiency of
grapevine breeding programs.
