Pierre Galet (28 January 1921 – 30 December 2019) was a French ampelographer and author who was an influential figure within ampelography in the 20th century and before

DNA typing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

was widely introduced. Beginning in the 1950s, Pierre Galet introduced a system for identifying varieties based on the shape, contours and characteristics of the leaves of the vines, petioles, growing shoots, shoot tips, grape clusters, as well as the colour, size,

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

content and flavour of the grapes. The impact and comprehensiveness of his work earned him the consideration as the "father of modern ampelography".J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 295 Oxford University Press 2006 He started publishing within ampelography in the 1950s and his Ph.D. thesis was presented in 1967. He has also written popular science books on grape varieties. Galet was active at the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier (today L'Institut Agro Montpellier).

Biography

Pierre Galet was born in

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in 1921 and spent most his life in southern France. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Galet hid from the German authorities at the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier. There he spent extensive amounts of time among the Department of

Viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

's ''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

'' collection which included samples of grapevines from across the globe. While there he was able to study the differences and learn about the different varieties. After the war, Galet would accept a teaching position at the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier where from 1946-1989, he was at the forefront of advances in ampelography and was the mentor to several of the leading ampelographers of the late 20th century. Among his students was Paul Truel, who would categorize and identify several

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

grapes varieties in

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and

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. In addition to teaching, Galet traveled to wine regions in the

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and throughout

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identifying grape varieties and settling legal disputes involving them. One such legal dispute involved the

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regulations banning the use of American ''

Vitis Labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, ...

'' vines, such as Isabella and

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, in European vineyards. Galet has long been an advocate against forcing the mandatory uprooting of these vines, believing the ban is

anachronistic An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common typ ...

Discoveries and findings

Through the course of his work, Galet has identified over 100 distinct grape varieties belonging to the Pinot family. He has also identified vines across the globe that were mistakenly thought to be Pinot, long before DNA fingerprinting was widely used. One such occurrence happened in

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in the 1980s when Galet discovered that vines labeled

Pinot blanc Pinot blanc () or Pinot bianco is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane wh ...

were actually Melon de Bourgogne, a grape commonly associated with the Muscadet wines of the Loire Valley. These so-called "Pinot blanc"

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...

s were provided by the University of California at Davis who mislabeled them. For more on this error, see also "Melon de Bourgogne - History" at MelonDeBourgogne.com.

Writings

Between 1956 and 1964, Galet published ''Cépages et vignoble de France'', a four volume catalog of

French wine French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to th ...

grape varieties. In 1977 and 1982, his two volume work, ''Maladies et parasites de la vigne'', on various ailments and grape diseases was released and followed by the fifth edition of his handbook ''Précis de viticulture'' in 1988. In 2000, Galet released ''Dictionnaire encyclopédique des cépages'', a comprehensive catalog of grape varieties from across the globe including their international synonyms. His student, ampelographer Lucie Morton, was influential in having much of Galet's work translated into English.

Death and recognition

Galet died on 31 December 2019 at the age of 98.Disparition de Pierre Galet
/ref> For his work in the advancement of viticulture and ampelography, Galet was made an ''Officier de l' Ordre du Mérite Agricole''. In 1983, he was given a prize of special recognition by the ''L'Office national interprofessionnel des vins'' (OIV), the association of French vintners, for the collective body of his work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galet, Pierre 1921 births 2019 deaths 20th-century French botanists Officers of the Order of Agricultural Merit