356 global reports global reports grape varieties...

356 WINE REPORT 2007 GLOBAL REPORTS GLOBAL REPORTS GRAPE VARIETIES 357

Oidium (powdery mildew) and downy mildewhave been problems for growers since the19th century. The usual method of combatingmildew is to spray with fungicides, but thefungi are becoming resistant to chemicals.Spraying also raises environmental issues and health-and-safety concerns. A morerecent disorder is grapevine fan leaf virus,which is spread by nematodes (see below).Since it is a viral disease, there is no cure;

however, chemicals are used against the nematode vector.Grape breeders have been trying to develop fungi-resistant varieties

since the end of the 19th century. These new varieties, mainly fromFrance, Germany, and the US, were produced by ‘classical breeding’ – a technique that creates totally new varieties. The process is a long one,taking at least 30 years from the initial crossing. In classical breeding,genes from other Vitis species are introduced into a Vitis vinifera variety,but the new variety is not, for instance, a Chardonnay with newresistance characteristics, because the breeding process loses a part of the Chardonnay genome. So modifying a given variety for a singledesired character was – until recently – quite impossible.

Scientists searching for solutions to these problems looked to genetictransfer. This method modifies grapevines in a targeted way without

DR FRANÇOIS LEFORT is a professor at the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland in Geneva. He has been working on the diversity ofgrapevine varieties for many years. François is the creator of the Greek Vitisdatabase and the coauthor of the Bulgarian Grapevine database. He is involved in building similar databases in Russia and Ukraine.

changing their essential character. First developed in the 1980s, genetictransfer inserts a very small number of genes into grapevines. The firstresearch, by French scientists, was supported by Louis Vuitton MoëtHennessy, and the results, published in 1998, were very promising. Aspublic concern about GMOs grew, LVMH stopped research in 2000.Genetic transfer research continued in Germany, Australia, Canada, andthe US. The LVMH results and genetic material were given to INRA inFrance, which continued the research, albeit at a slower pace.

Germany: GM grapevines

German scientists of the German Federal Grapevine Research Centre atSiebeldingen have been looking for quality and fungi-resistant characterstransmittable to established grape varieties. Resistance characterstransferred to grapevines are resistance to the main fungal disease agentsof grapevines: Plasmopara viticola (downy mildew), Uncinula necator(oidium/powdery mildew), and Botrytis cinerea (grey rot). Fungi-resistantvines should reduce fungicide application and result in less environmentalcontamination and lower production costs. Field trials for three GMvarieties – Dornfelder, Riesling, and Seyval Blanc – began in 2005 inSiebeldingen. Resistant genes have been successfully transferred frombarley into grapevines, and the 130 transgenic vines will be tested fortheir fungus resistance.

These trials, which will include wine-quality assessment, will last for 10years, although GM varieties are not expected to reach the market for 25years. The foreign genes will not alter the wine quality of the transgenic

Grape Varieties

GM vines are on their way to European vineyards:the first open field trials of genetically modifiedgrapevines have begun in France and Germany,despite scepticism from growers and consumers.

DR FRANÇOIS LEFORT

Dr François Lefort

• Wine Grape Growers Australiaand the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia are proposing a “vineretirement scheme” to pull upthousands of hectares of less popularvarieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon,in 2006 in an attempt to curboverproduction in Australia.There are also state incentives to turn extrawine stocks into ethanol. What issurprising is that Cabernet Sauvignonis now seen as a less popular variety.

• After several years of testing,Bruce Reisch of NYS AgriculturalExperiment Station, CornellUniversity at Geneva, New York, has

Grapevinerecommended a list of “less risky”varieties to New York growers.All the varieties are interspecificgrapevine hybrids: La Crescent,Ravat 34, NY76.0844.24,Vignoles,Traminette, NY62.0122.01, CayugaWhite, and Vidal Blanc (white);Frontenac, GR 7, Maréchal Foch, StCroix, NY70.0809.10, Chambourcin,Chelois, and NY73.0136.17 (black).Some of the hybrids, such as VidalBlanc, Maréchal Foch, andChambourcin, are old French hybrids.

GLOBAL REPORTS GRAPE VARIETIES 359

moratorium, recently hardened its stance by totally opposing trialsanywhere in the world. Its influence resulted in an INAO ban on GMgrapevines, GM yeast, and GM bacteria in 2002, but it has not so farbeen authorized by the Minister of Agriculture.

South Africa: the total GM kit

South African researchers are working on GM grapevines, GM yeasts, andGM bacteria for winemaking in the Winetech Biotechnology Programme(WTBP). South African grapevine gene transfer research aims to improveresistance to disease and adaptation to unfavourable environmentalconditions. The genes transferred to grapevines to improve fungalresistance are a yeast chitinase, a yeast glucanase, an antifungal peptide,and grapevine polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs). The firsttransgenic field trial is currently under development.

Researchers have produced various new GM yeast strains in efforts toimprove wine clarification and juice yield, to generate new aroma profiles,or to produce antioxidants and other compounds with an impact onhuman health. These yeast strains are currently being further developedthrough SunBio, a biotechnology development company. South AfricanGM yeasts have been accepted by the FDA and are now being used forwinemaking in the United States.

The WTBP researchers are studying wine bacteria to explore the role of lactic acid bacteria involved in malolactic fermentation and in theproduction of antimicrobial agents called bacteriocins, which can inhibitthe growth of spoilage organisms. The goal of gene-transfer technology is to develop lactic acid bacteria that can perform enhanced malolacticfermentation. Still in the preliminary stages, this research focuses ongenomic sequences of commercially important lactic acid bacteria and the development of genetic tools and expression systems.

The South African wine industry gives generous financial support toGM grapevine research. Public concern or opposition does not seem toaffect WTBP plans, although they do concede that their most importantchallenge is to “educate the consumer”.

GM grapevine research is currently being carried out in several othercountries, including the United States and Australia. Given the hugeamounts being pumped into this research, it seems that GM grapevines,rootstocks, yeasts, and bacteria will soon be an important part ofviticulture. Great changes are on the way. It will be interesting to seewhether the consumer will be open to “education”.

358 WINE REPORT 2007 GLOBAL REPORTS

grapes or the wine quality of adjacent non-GM vines if cross-pollinationoccurs, since cross-pollination results in only the seeds carrying foreigngenes and not the flesh of the berry.

France: GM rootstocks

Until work stopped in 2001 when 400 transgenic rootstocks were pulled up, French scientists had been researching resistance to diseasesaffecting the rootstock and not the grafted scion. This approach could be more acceptable to growers and consumers because the rootstockdoes not affect the grape berry itself, which is genetically determined by the genome of the grafted variety. Rootstocks are also prevented from producing leaves and flowers in the vineyard, to avoid any risk of gene transfer to wild grapes (almost extinct in Europe thanks tophylloxera) or to other grapes.

Work resumed in 2005 at INRA Colmar with the long-awaitedauthorization from the French Ministry for Agriculture for open field trials of transgenic rootstocks made resistant to grapevine fan leaf virus,a damaging disease with no cure. Grapevine fan leaf virus is a virustransmitted by soil nematodes that attack the vine’s roots.

Rootstocks made resistant to the virus cannot be infected by nematodes.The fact that the foreign gene is only in the rootstock and not in the graftedscion or the grapes could make this strategy more acceptable to the public,since the wine will not be a GM wine. Once scientific assessment has beencarried out, genetically modified rootstocks could be on the market quitequickly, offering a choice of the usual rootstocks but with resistance to fanleaf virus. There are, however, about 40 viruses that attack grapevines, so itwill take a while to make GM vines resistant to them all.

Seventy transgenic rootstocks, surrounded by non-transgenic rootstocks and a Pinot Meunier vineyard, were planted in experimentalopen vineyards in September 2005. The trial is authorized to run for fouryears, and the vineyard will be destroyed on completion. The transgenicrootstocks will not be allowed to flower, and no wine will be produced.

INRA Montpellier, which is continuing with its classical breedingprogrammes, has produced a hybrid rootstock that is partially resistant to grapevine fan leaf virus.

Opposition from the industry has been fiercer than expected. Terre etVin du Monde, an association of 400 top world producers that includesChâteau Latour, Château Pichon-Longueville, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and Egon Müller, has declared its firm opposition to GMgrapevines. The organization, which had originally asked for a GM

GLOBAL REPORTS GRAPE VARIETIES 361360 WINE REPORT 2007 GLOBAL REPORTS

Widest-cultivated white grape varieties Global, wine grapes only.

Grape variety Acres in 2005* Main countries

1. Airén 756,300 Spain

2. Chardonnay 458,900 US, France, Italy

3. Ugni Blanc 274,600 France, Italy, Argentina

4. Rkatsiteli 264,800 Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova

5. Sauvignon Blanc 199,900 France, Moldova, US

6. Riesling 135,400 Germany, Ukraine

7. Macabeo 125,400 Spain, France

8. Muscat of Alexandria 116,400 Spain, Chile, Algeria

9. Aligoté 109,200 Italy, Spain, Croatia

10. Catarratto Bianco Comune 107,200 Italy

*Estimated. Source: Patrick W Fegan, Chicago Wine School, 2006.

Widest-cultivated black grape varieties Global, wine grapes only.


1. Cabernet Sauvignon 701,300 France, Chile, US

2. Merlot 694,400 France, Italy, US

3. Grenache 518,500 Spain, France, Italy

4. Tempranillo 500,500 Spain, Argentina, Portugal

5. Syrah 357,700 France, Australia

6. Carignan 274,600 France, China,Tunisia

7. Bobal 219,800 Spain

8. Pinot Noir 215,500 France, US, Germany

9. Sangiovese 190,100 Italy, Argentina, US

10. Monastrell/Mourvèdre 184,100 Spain, France, Australia


Widest-cultivated grey/rosé grape varieties Global, wine grapes only.


1. Pinot Gris 63,800 Italy, Germany, US

2. Criolla Grande 57,400 Argentina

3. Cereza 44,800 Argentina

4. Gewürztraminer 39,600 Moldova, France, Ukraine

5. Grenache Gris 5,900 France

6. Roditis 2,500 Greece

7. Catawba 2,400 US

8. Grolleau Gris 1,400 France


IS GRUBBING UP THEONLY WAY?

To deal with overproduction, theFrench authorities decided to grub up10,000 ha of vineyards over a three-year period. Despite subsidies of upto €15,000 per hectare in 2005 inBordeaux, the scheme failed to attractenough participants, and only1,800 ha were destroyed. While suchsubsidies help growers in the shortterm, they do not offer a sustainableframework for viticulture.

Instead of looking for otherapproaches, such as promoting organicviticulture and authorizing disease-resistant varieties in appellationareas, the sclerotic French winesystem supervised by ONIVINS onceagain opts for the worst solution.

Anti-alcohol campaigns, staterestrictions on advertisements, andloss of traditional market share are allamong factors aggravating this crisis.Some specialists are calling for anurgent ban on chaptalization toprevent extreme measures such aspulling up vineyards, claiming thatbanning the use of 60,000 metrictonnes of sugar each year to increasethe alcoholic content of wine wouldgo a long way towards easing thesituation.

WHITE IS THE MUTANT

A basic question about berry colourwas recently answered by moleculargenetics. Red plant pigments calledanthocyanins are responsible for thecolour of grape skins. Until now, itwas thought that white varietiesdeveloped from black varieties byindependent mutational events.

However, a Japanese team studyingthe anthocyanin synthesis pathwayshowed that the insertion of aretrotransposon, a kind of jumpinggene, in one gene of this pathwaysuppressed the expression ofanthocyanins in white varieties.

In some black grapes derived fromwhite varieties by bud mutation andin vitro culture techniques – such asRuby Okuyama (black skin) derivedfrom Italia (white skin), and FlameMuscat (black skin) derived fromMuscat of Alexandria (white skin) –the same team also detected thetracks of some sequence remainsfrom this retrotransposon in the gene of interest. This proved thatreversion from white-skinned varietiesto black-skinned varieties occurred.Reversion happened when anothermutation event deleted the insertedretrotransposon, leading back to afunctional gene. The now-functioninggene meant that a black variety couldbe bred from a white parent.

The initial mutation event leadingto the appearance of white varietiesis certainly very ancient andhappened long before grapevinedomestication (around 6000 BC).This research explains why all whitevarieties harbour this mutation in the same gene of the anthocyaninsynthesis pathway.

GLOBAL REPORTS GRAPE VARIETIES 363362 WINE REPORT 2007 GLOBAL REPORTS

BEST WINES FROMNEW VARIETIES ORNEW CLONES

This year experimental wines from the Federal Research Centre on Grapevines at Siebeldingen inGermany form an important part of the list. Although they areexperimental, the wines are alsoavailable to buy, so it is possible totaste new varieties at a reasonableprice. Making the wines availableadvertises the excellent work of theresearch centre and spreads the wordto growers, who can try new fungi-resistant varieties that require nochemical treatment.1 QmP Siebeldinger Mönchspfad

Regent 2003 Institut fürRebenzüchtung, Germany (€8.50per 50-cl bottle) Experimental reddry wine from Regent [Gf 67-198-3: (Silvaner x Müller-Thurgau) xChambourcin (= Joannes Seyve26205); BAFZ Geilweilerhof] (14.5per cent). Bronze medal, EconomicChamber of Rheinland-Pfalz.Aged in oak. Regent is said to beone of the most fungi-resistant redvarieties currently available.

2 QmP Siebeldinger MönchspfadReberger 2003 Institut fürRebenzüchtung, Germany (€7 per 50-cl bottle) Experimental dry red wine from Reberger [Gf 86-2-60: Regent x Lemberger(= Blaufränkisch); BAFZGeilweilerhof, 1986] (14 per cent).Silver medal, Economic Chamberof Rheinland-Pfalz.

3 Gamarêve 2003 Domaine LeVieux Clocher, Caves Leyvraz &Stevens, Switzerland (SF 15) Redwine from Gamaret (= GamayNoir x Reichensteiner, AgroscopeChangins, 1970), matured in oakcasks. Integrated production.

4 Kerner 2004 Domaine de la Côte d’Or, Switzerland (SF 13) Dry white wine made from Kerner (= Riesling x Trollinger,Weinsberg/Württemberg StateWine Institute, Baden, Germany,1969).Trollinger is the Germansynonym for the Italian varietySchiava Grossa. Late floweringprovides frost resistance. It was thefourth most planted variety in the1980s in Germany and currentlycovers 6,500 ha.

5 Siebeldinger MönchspfadVillaris Kabinett 2004 Institut fürRebenzüchtung, Germany (€3.20)Off-dry, 11.5 per cent.White winemade from the fungi-resistantvariety Villaris [Sirius (= Bacchus xVillard Blanc) x Villard Blanc (= Seyve-Villard 12-375); withBacchus (= Müller-Thurgau x[Riesling x Sylvaner]); BAFZGeilweilerhof, 1984].

6 QbA Siebeldinger MönchspfadPhoenix 2004 Institut fürRebenzüchtung, Germany (€2.60per 100-cl bottle) Dry white wine(11.5 per cent) made from thefungi-resistant variety Phoenix (= Bacchus x Villard Blanc;BAFZ Geilweilerhof). Has a slight Muscat aroma.

7 QmP Siebeldinger MönchspfadFelicia Spätlese 2004 Institut fürRebenzüchtung, Germany (€3.80)Off-dry white wine (11.5 per cent)made from Felicia [= Sirius x VidalBlanc (= Ugni Blanc x Rayond’Or); BAFZ Geilweilerhof, 1984].

8 Finger Lakes Traminette 2001Amberg Wine Cellars, USA(US$9.99) Off-dry white wine fromTraminette (= Joannes Seyve23.416 x Gewürztraminer; Barrett,Cornell Geneva University, 1965).

Fastest-growing white grape varieties The greatest global increase in recent plantings of white (wine only) grape varieties.

Grape variety Acres in 2004* Acres in 2005* % increase**

1. Ugni Blanc 338,400 374,600 10.7

2. Chardonnay 432,900 458,900 6

3. Sauvignon Blanc 193,100 199,900 3.5

*Estimated. **Some increases may reflect improved data collection rather than anactual increase in acreage. Source: Patrick W Fegan, Chicago Wine School, 2006.

Fastest-growing black grape varieties The greatest global increase in recent plantings of black (wine only) grape varieties.


1. Cabernet Sauvignon 633,800 701,300 10.7

2. Merlot 647,800 694,300 7.2

3. Syrah 334,800 357,700 6.8

4. Grenache 513,400 516,500 0.6


Fastest-growing grey/rosé grape varieties The greatest global increase in recent plantings of grey/rosé (wine only) grape varieties.


1. Gewürztraminer 36,700 39,600 7.9

2. Pinot Gris 60,800 63,800 4.9


• Marselan was authorized for Vinde Pays d’Oc wines in December2005. Marselan (Cabernet Sauvignonx Grenache Noir, INRA 1961), whichwas resurrected and registered as anofficial variety in 1990, promises tobe very popular.

• The number of Muscat varietieshas been clarified by genetic profiling.Out of 64 Muscats, there are only 20genetically different varieties, with theremaining 44 being synonyms. Most

Grapevineof the synonyms were Muscat Whiteor Muscat of Alexandria crossed withother varieties.

• In Vietnam, grapevines are mainlycultivated for table grapes and raisins,though a small amount of wine ismade in northern regions. Evaluationof foreign (US, French, and German)and domestic varieties has beengoing on for 10 years.Three domesticvines, NH-02-04, NH-02-10, and NH-02-1, look promising as wine varieties.

364 WINE REPORT 2007 GLOBAL REPORTS

9 Melody 2004 Goose WatchWinery, Finger Lakes, USA(US$6.79) Dry white wine fromMelody [= Seyval Blanc x GenevaWhite 5 (= Pinot Blanc x Ontario);Cornell Geneva University, 1965].

0 Vin de Pays des Alpes deHaute-Provence Marselan 2004Domaine de la Madeleine, France(€3.97) Pure red wine fromMarselan (= Cabernet Sauvignonx Grenache Noir, INRAMontpellier, France, 1961).

BEST WINES FROMUNUSUAL, OBSCURE,OR REDISCOVEREDGRAPE VARIETIES

1 Coteaux du Languedoc LaMéjanelle Cuvée 1811 2003Château des Mazes, France (€8.90)Red wine from a blend ofGrenache, Syrah, and old Carignanvines. Matured for a year inFrench oak. (The castle was built in 1811.)

2 Vin de Pays d’Oc Cuvée 18112004 Château des Mazes, France(€8.90) White wine from a blendof Sauvignon and Viognier, vinifiedand matured for 6–7 months innew French oak.

3 Gaillac Vin d’Autan 2003Domaine des Très-Cantous, Bernard& Robert Plageoles, France (€35 per50-cl bottle) Sweet white wine (9.8 per cent) made throughpasserillage from Ondenc, whichoriginates in the Tarn region.Ondenc is an old Gaillac varietythat has been revived thanks tothe efforts of Robert Plageoles. Itis now registered as a variety forthe appellation. Acreage is limitedto 6 ha in the Gaillac area.

4 Gaillac Ondenc 2004 Domainedes Très-Cantous, Bernard & RobertPlageoles, France (€9.50) Dry whitewine from Ondenc.

5 Vin de Pays des Côtes du TarnPrunelard 2004 Domaine desTrès-Cantous, Bernard & RobertPlageoles, France (€11.50) Full-bodied red wine from Prunelard –another almost extinct traditionalGaillac variety revived by Plageoles.Acreage is limited to 6 ha in theGaillac area.

6 Vin de Pays des Côtes du TarnMauzac Noir 2004 Domaine desTrès-Cantous, Bernard & RobertPlageoles, France (€6.50) Red wine.

7 Vin de Table Audace 2004Stéphane Tissot, France (€29.90 perhalf-bottle) Sweet red wine madefrom Poulsard, an old variety ofArbois wines in Jura. Biodynamicproduction.

8 Vin de Pays de l’Ile de BeautéBianco Gentile 2004 AntoineArena, France (€19.50) Organicwhite wine from Bianco Gentile –a traditional white variety fromCorsica that is almost extinct.

9 Bordeaux Cep d’Antan 2004Domaine de Bouillerot, France(€6.80) Red wine from a blend of Carmenère, Petit Verdot, andMalbec.

0 Bourgogne César 1999 MaisonSimonnet Febvre, France (€12.90)Red wine from César – an oldburgundy variety.

356 global reports global reports grape varieties...

Documents