Scientists identify factor which influence colour of Pinot grapes

To be red, or not to be red is a matter of mutation. This past Friday, New Zealand Herald reporter Jamie Morton published a story about a team of researchers at INRA Colmar (France) who discovered the reason why some pinot grapes turn out red and why some turn out white. “A new study … found the colour of grapes within the pinot family spawn from naturally occurring mutations which selectively shut down the genes responsible for the synthesis of red pigments, called anthocyanins,” Morton wrote.