The amount of available knowledge is growing exponentially, and at the same time it is becoming more difficult to extract relevant information from a wide variety of sources.
The Information Centre Grapevine and Wine creates and maintains four extensive online databases for international experts and the interested public. A scientific journal on grapevine and wine is self-published online with four annual issues. One of the world's largest special libraries on grapevine and wine as well as collections of specimens in a herbarium are connected.
Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
The VIVC documents described and still existing grapevine diversity worldwide. Currently, the VIVC comprises about 23,500 grapevine varieties, wild species and breeding lines. The database was founded in 1984 and is available online since 1996. It includes variety-specific passport and description data, photos and a bibliography. On average, more than 10,000 different visitors use the scientifically curated catalogue as a reliable source of information every month.
European Vitis Database
The European Vitis Database is a virtual gene bank. It currently contains the inventories of 60 grapevine collections from 28 European countries. An upgrade and increase in efficiency was achieved by allowing the curators of the collections to update the database contents in the European Vitis Database themselves. The import and export as well as the correction of all data types and photos can be done directly online by the experts of the individual countries.
Deutsche Genbank Reben (DGR)
The inventories of seven German grapevine collections are linked in the Deutsche Genbank Reben (DGR). The DGR is thus an essential instrument for safeguarding grapevine genetic resources in Germany. The coordination of the DGR lies in the hands of the Institute.
Vitis-VEA (Literaturdatenbank)
This international literature database includes international scientific journal articles, monographs and conference reports published since 1969 in the fields of viticulture, grapevine biology, grapevine breeding, plant protection and oenology. German-language articles with practical relevance have been included since 1994.
VITIS-Journal of Grapevine Research
The JKI's scientific journal on grapevine research in English with original scientific papers from all over the world is being published since 1957. It has been available as an open source online journal since 2015. Both access to the scientific papers and their publication are free of charge.