34 Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is one of the most important perennial crop plants in worldwide. 35 Understanding of developmental processes like flowering, which impact quality and quantity of yield 36 in this species is therefore of high interest. This gets even more important when considering some of 37 the expected consequences of climate change. Earlier bud burst and flowering, for example, may 38 result in yield loss due to spring frost. Berry ripening under higher temperatures will impact wine 39 quality. Knowledge of interactions between a genotype or allele combination and the environment 40 can be used for the breeding of genotypes that are better adapted to new climatic conditions. To this 41 end, we have generated a list of more than 500 candidate genes that may play a role in the timing of 42 flowering. The grapevine genome was exploited for flowering time control gene homologs on the 43 basis of functional data from model organisms like A. thaliana. In a previous study, a mapping 44 population derived from early flowering GF.GA-47-42 and late flowering 'Villard Blanc' was 45 analyzed for flowering time QTLs. In a second step we have now established a workflow combining 46 amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics to follow alleles of selected candidate genes in the F 1 47 individuals and the parental genotypes. Allele combinations of these genes in individuals of the 48 mapping population were correlated with early or late flowering phenotypes. Specific allele 49 combinations of flowering time candidate genes within and outside of the QTL regions for flowering 50 time on chromosome 1, 4, 14, 17, and 18 were found to be associated with an early flowering 51 phenotype. In addition, expression of many of the flowering candidate genes was analyzed over 52 consecutive stages of bud and inflorescence development indicating functional roles of these genes in 53 the flowering control network. 54 Introduction 55 The reproductive developmental cycle of grapevine spans two years (S1 Figure). Grapevine plants 56 need intense light and high temperatures to initiate inflorescences during spring, which develop and 57 flower during the subsequent summer [1]. The ongoing tendency to higher temperatures in spring 58 due to global warming causes earlier bud burst and flowering [2]. As a consequence, late spring 59 frost is an increasing risk to viticulture, which may cause significant crop loss [3]. Together with 60 flowering the onset of ripening is shifted towards earlier dates [4,5] and the ripening process occurs 61 under warmer conditions. This influences berry composition [6], affects wine quality and promotes 62 e.g. fungi infection. Grapevine breeding programs aim to keep the production of high quality grapes 63 in a changing environment consistent. Making use of late flowering genotypes may be one approach 64 to compensate for earlier ripening. Understanding the flowering process in grapevine and 65 determining factors that lead to early or late flowering may help to control variation in berry 66 production [7]....