“Q & A” of the european commission for labeling and desalcoholization for wines: european wine “soft-law”?

Fungus-resistant grape varieties (frgv) are an important field of research in viticulture, as they represent a way of reducing the use of copper-containing pesticides and thus minimising the environmental impact. The literature suggests that resistant grape varieties are a promising solution to the problem of using copper-containing pesticides in viticulture and that their quality has improved in recent years. However, there are still challenges in the acceptance and dissemination of FRGV by wine producers and consumers.

Vitis vinifera is the most grown grapevine species, which originated about 6 million years ago in the trans-caucasian area as the ancestral (wild) type v. Vinifera spp. Sylvestris. On the other hand, the human being (homo sapiens) is much younger since he originated about 300.000 years ago in north africa.

Pierce’s disease (PD) is considered a potential threat to european viticulture (EPPO a2 list of pathogens since 1981). In the usa, infections caused by the vector-borne bacterium xylella fastidiosa have caused recurrent damage to vineyards in California and the southeastern states. However, vineyards in Europe have remained free of PD until recently, when it was first detected on the island of Mallorca in 2017. The reasons for the absence of PD in continental Europe have not been convincingly explained.

In recent years, the consumption of fine wines in Brazil has increased significantly, a phenomenon that is also reflected in the expansion of production to new regions. In the brazilian southeast for example, the so-called “winter wines” are being produced, through management in two cycles, one of formation and one of production, with two prunings and one harvest per year, a technique known as double pruning, with vineyards established at altitudes close to or above 1,000 m above sea level.

Climate change will increase the frequency of water deficit experienced in certain european regions, due to increased evapotranspiration and reduced rainfall during the growing cycle. We therefore need to find ways of adaption, including the use of more drought-tolerant planting material. In addition to the varieties used as grafts and involved in the wine ypicity of our wines, rootstocks selection is a relevant way of adapting to more restrictive environmental conditions.