A generation of grape breeders has retired over the past three years. Programs at UC Davis, Cornell, the USDA-ARS at Parlier, California, the University of Minnesota, and a new program at the USDA-ARS unit in Kearneysville, West Virginia have hired a new crop of grape breeders and geneticists. These newly-hired breeders now have access to a host of tools, including a detailed map of the 19 chromosomes in the grapevine genome, numerous DNA markers predicting important traits such as disease resistance, and the ability to use marker-assisted selection in their breeding programs. None of this existed when their predecessors started their careers in the ‘80s or ‘90s. A generation ago, almost nothing was known about grapevine genetics. Crosses were made by choosing parents with complementary traits (phenotypes), and selecting progeny that expressed the best combination of traits observed in the field. A dramatic drop in the cost of sequencing DNA has driven a revolution in grape breeding. Grape breeders, for the first time, have access to detailed genetic information to guide their efforts. They are no longer flying blind.