Grape varieties of the future: research, growers and consumers expectations, challenges

Abstract

The French official catalog now includes more than 350 varieties. Each year, new varieties join the list. With, anytime, the ambition to give opportunities to meet the challenges that wine industry is facing. High hopes and expectations are based on the vine material in order to face climate change, reduction of chemicals or the ability to maintain the competitiveness. Since the 60’s, clonal selection still provides answers (sanitary status, technological performance) to growers within the limits of the natural diversity given by our traditional varieties. Fertility, vigor, cluster size, berry size, maturity, flavors, Botrytis are criteria that the selection has always taken into consideration. There are new ones like: delayed ripening, polyphenolic maturity… What should we reasonably expect ?

Against global warming, clones accumulating less sugar with a good maturation of polyphenols? Work is in progress, but perspectives are reduced and some questions might likely remain unanswered: wood diseases, downy and powdery mildew, virus diseases … Then, breeding appears as the only real way of improvement. Initiated by INRA and now in partnership with IFV, the creation of varieties resistant to downy and powdery mildew has 2 goals: sustainable resistance and agronomical and technological value. First round of material to be registered in 2016. We have also seen in recent years a renewed interest in local varieties. Short circuits, with a strong identity niche wines, development of neglected cultivars are arguments to fight against standardization. The landscape of our classic varieties will therefore undoubtedly evolve. How fast, under what conditions? Difficult to predict but we must remember that hybrids accounted for half of French vineyards in the 50’s. Roll on tomorrow ?