The Future of Bordeaux Wines: Developing Resistant Grape Varieties to Combat Climate Change

By Jean Cittone

Published 6 hours ago, Updated 6 hours ago

Residents of Bordeaux vineyards are exposed to dozens of pesticides, a cocktail that is harmful to humans and biodiversity. OceanProd / stock.adobe.com

The Bordeaux vineyard is developing new hybrid grape varieties to make the vine more resistant to climate change, downy mildew and powdery mildew, while retaining the typicality of Bordeaux wines and reasonable harvest dates.

Le Figaro Bordeaux

What wine will we drink tomorrow? Faced with accelerating global warming, the Bordeaux vineyards are doubling their ingenuity to think about the viticulture of the future, both more resistant to diseases and climatic hazards, destined to multiply in the years to come. “There are many major environmental issues», Explains Marie-Catherine Dufour, technical director of the Bordeaux Interprofessional Wine Council (CIVB). “We must reduce the use of chemicals and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions», continuing to produce good wine. A challenge?

Due to climate change, the dates for bud burst, flowering and veraison (the period when the grapes swell and change color) are already more and more precocious. The ripening of the grapes takes place in increasingly warm conditions and the wines all become more alcoholic and less acidic. Viticulture must also deal with downy mildew and powdery mildew, two diseases which ravage farms and lead a majority of farmers to resort to numerous pesticides, the danger of which has been proven for the surrounding inhabitants and for biodiversity.

Varieties of interest for adaptation purposes (VIFA), more resistant to extreme climatic phenomena, are a source of hope. Since 2007, the system “Vitadapt» studies the capacity of adaptation in the Bordeaux terroir of 52 French and foreign grape varieties, planted within the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV). “Hundreds of measurements are taken to see how these grape varieties behave in our climates and those that could be used to produce typical Bordeaux wines, with reasonable harvest dates.», explains Marie-Catherine Dufour. A work of goldsmith.

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Disease resistant varieties

In addition to the device “Vitadapt», several new varieties are already being tested on a small scale (a few liters every year). This project, entitled “New Wine“, consists of crossing disease-resistant vines with others producing quality grapes. “We direct what nature does naturally, it is not at all about GMOs [organismes génétiquement modifiés]», Explains the CIVB. These experiments should last another five years, to “a hoped-for release of the first New Wine varieties around 2030», if these grape varieties prove to be both resistant, qualitative and not too precocious. “We are working on varieties that are sustainably resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew.», specifies Marie-Catherine Dufour, which could “reduce usage by 80% phytosanitary products ».

The National Institute of Origin and Quality, a public establishment responsible for the AOC (controlled designation of origin) and AOP (protected designation of origin) labels, already authorizes the incorporation of VIFA in grape varieties benefiting from an appellation, within the limit of 5% of the vines on the farm and up to 10% of the mixture in wine blends. “It’s a full-scale experiment, but without a huge qualitative impact.», summarizes Marie-Catherine Dufour. “But we must not imagine that tomorrow we will stop cabernet sauvignon or merlot“, however tempers the technical director of the CIVB. “We will only use them in different quantities, to stay in something that we love and that resembles us.»

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2023-10-03 16:31:15
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