With the context of global warming, are innovative varieties appropriates for PGI wines with typicality assessment?

Abstract

With the context of global warming, which is causing earlier phenological dates for vines and changes in the quality of wines and with the regulatory context which lead to low phytosanitary treatment, understand how vines are liable to react to future regulation and climate evolution is important. But producers and consumers are not ready to accept rapid changes in the typicality of the products even if they are very attentive to wines quality.

Some new varieties are resistant or tolerant to some diseases. It is the case of innovative varieties that are resistant to mildew and powdery mildew. In the case of use of these varieties, it could be interesting to use them in blend with traditional varieties, under 15%, to keep the mention of the traditional varieties on the label. In this way, producers and consumers could better accept innovative varieties on condition that the sensory profiles are not strongly affected. Grapes were harvested from 2 vintages. Wines from Cabernet Franc were used as references, and were compared with blends with traditional varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Grolleau, which are commonly used in the studied area) and with innovative varieties (currently in obtainment by INRA). Blends were made with 7, 15 and 20% of alternative varieties. Expert panels performed descriptive analyses in order to describe objectively the wines. Profiles using just about right scales were performed by professionals, coupled with a typicality assessment, in order to valuate the acceptability of the blends.

In this article, we have studied how PGI wines are impacted by the blend of innovative varieties that are resistant to mildew and powdery mildew. Wines were more discriminate from their origin (different Cabernet Franc wines) but none from their blend. Professionals judged the blends with Cabernet Sauvignon more astringent by experts and too tannic by professionals. Even the variety blended was far from Cabernet, the wines were judged as a “good example of Cabernet Franc”. This study seems to show that the use of new varieties, in combination with traditional varieties, could be appropriate for PGI wines.