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Background/Objectives: Lebanon, one of the oldest centers of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivation, is home to a rich diversity of local grape varieties. This biodiversity is linked to the country's unique topography and millennia of cultural history. However, the wine industry primarily utilizes international varieties, putting many local varieties at risk of extinction. Methods: In this study, we analyzed 202 samples from old vineyards, home gardens, and private collections using 21 microsatellite markers to assess their identity and genetic diversity. Results: A total of 67 different genotypes were identified, with 34 not matching any existing profiles in the consulted databases, based on comparisons with the European Vitis Database, the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC), and the databases established in two previous studies conducted in Armenia and Lebanon. Cluster analyses revealed Lebanon's rich diversity of local grape varieties, highlighting cases of synonymy, homonymy, and misnaming. All loci were polymorphic, with 228 alleles and an average of 11.4 alleles being detected. The highest number of alleles was observed at the VVIV67 locus (19 alleles), while the lowest was found at the VVIQ52 and VVIN73 loci (5 alleles). The observed heterozygosity was 0.732, slightly below the expected value of 0.757, with gene diversity varying among the markers. Conclusions: Of the 67 genetic profiles identified, 34 are absent from national and international databases, underscoring Lebanon as a hotspot for grapevine genetic diversity. This unique genetic variation, which includes several synonyms due to geographic isolation, could provide valuable opportunities for producing distinctive wines and emphasizes the need for further research and documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lebanon is illustrious for the cultivation of grapevine since the old antiquity. Grapevine is well adapted to the agroclimatic conditions of the country which makes it one of the major element of the Lebanese agriculture. Nevertheless germplasm assessment has attributed limited interest to grapevine while genetic resources have not been exploited before despite their potential in adaptation to environmental changes. In this study we assess the diversity of traditional grapevine accessions growing in different production areas in Lebanon. A total of 35 accessions belonging to 22 vernacular names were evaluated using 33 leaf and fruit traits previously developed by OIV. An important variability was revealed among the accessions studied based on grape and grain characteristics. The most discriminant traits were grape and grain weight, dimensions, form, and skin color; leaf size, form, color, lobes number, depth of petiole sinus. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed five main clusters, each regrouping accessions of different named varieties and different agro-climatic areas. An intra-varietal variability is also suspected. Although preliminary, our results indicate a potential of genetic diversity within the Lebanese grape germplasm that should be further investigated in order to understand their performance and to evaluate them in selection programs.