(VinePair) - The word “clone” may summon images of futuristic labs and babies with multiple heads, but in the wine biz, clones are born wildly in nature, with dozens represented in any wine shop. Grape clones are the X-Men of wine — literally mutants that evolved spontaneously in different climates. They produce fruit with unique characteristics, but still of the Vitis Viniferaspecies and still a single variety at their core. Over centuries, and especially as science has evolved alongside winemaking, hundreds of clones have been propagated, and they’re everywhere.

To understand how grape clones develop, it first helps to know how grapevines are cultivated. Unlike most crops, grapevines don’t sprout from grape seeds. Instead, a branch with a bud is cut from an existing vine and then planted directly into the ground, or grafted (essentially glued) onto an existing root, and a new vine begins to grow.

Each time a vine is planted or grafted, the new vine is an exact DNA replica of the mother vine, and referred to as a clone. Diversity in clones starts most often from spontaneous mutation, unlike hybrid varieties intentionally created via cross-pollination. When a single vine mutates on its own –say, developing loose berry clusters, it’s considered a “new” clone and will have genetic material that is different from its original mother vine. By cutting and grafting from the loose-cluster vine, vintners propagate the new clone, planting dozens of copies or whole parcels of land to the new clone. Many clones bear the name of their discovery site, like Pommard or Wente Pinot Noir clones, while others are identified by number.