Resumption of the planting of grapevine varieties in France, referred to as "disease-resistant" Original language of the article: English.
This article investigates the beginning of the adoption of a new generation of “resistant” grapevine varieties (RVs) in France, in a European context in which varietal innovation has become more and more dynamic over the last thirty years.
Today, there is a growing interest in this plant material, because it constitutes a lever for adaptation to the combined impacts of climate change and fungal diseases in vineyards. Based on data from the French digital vineyard register (CVI: “casier viticole informatisé”), this paper provides RV maps of leading regions, as well as less involved ones, which show the implantation of these varieties.
Context, data and variables
Interspecific hybrid grapevine varieties were first studied and massively produced at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries in response to the Phylloxera crisis in Europe
For authors such as Montaigne et al. (2016)
Grapevine breeding was relaunched in Europe around thirty years ago
The European Commission (2018)
Methods
We used planted RV-related surface data from the French digital vineyard register (CVI: “casier viticole informatisé”) in each municipality to compute a cumulative amount of planted RV hectares per department from July 2017 to July 2021. It should be noted that at the time of writing this article the CVI data set was incomplete for 2022 and 2023. The data used to generate these maps are grouped in Supplementary Tables, which are available by request from the corresponding authors. According to the European Union classification of territorial units for statistics, the French departments correspond to the NTUS3 level and the French Regions to the NTUS2 level. The maps representing the data were created using methods adapted to the heterogeneity of the variables: geometric progression (Figure 2) and Jenks classification method (Figure 3). All maps were created with QGIS.3.28 (https://qgis.org/).
Results
Over the five-year period covered by our study, there was a steady increase in RV plantings (Figure 1A), illustrating the growing interest in RVs in France. The cultivars chosen during the 2017-2021 period were predominantly white grape varieties, with Souvignier Gris, Floréal, and Soreli accounting for 388 hectares, 247 hectares, and 116 hectares, respectively; and regarding the red grape varieties, the main ones were Artaban (153 hectares) and Vidoc (112 hectares) (Figure 1B). These cultivars are the result of various research programmes and policies, as shown in Paire et al. (2024)
RV implantation has been quite moderate (1,208 ha of RVs compared to 786,847 ha of all varieties in France), but the trends may change over the coming years depending on the quality of the wines obtained from these cultivars, and the ones which will be newly registered
The adoption of RVs remains very low, because the diffusion of innovation in perennial crops is a long process, despite potential advantages of RVs, such as (i) better sustainability, (ii) a reduction in chemical inputs, and (iii) a decrease in production costs
Furthermore, even though some changes in the regulation of Geographical Indications (GIs) have occurred (typicity of the PDO, Protected Designation of Origin
Figure 2 shows that the planting of RVs in the French departments is not spread evenly across the territory. It highlights contrasting French RV implantations, with strong development in southern France compared to other traditional wine-growing areas. For example, Burgundy has been the most cautious among France's famous wine regions, though it recently launched the QANOPEE programme to partly promote RVs. Concerning the other wine-growing regions, the planting of RVs is more moderate than in the Languedoc vineyards.
Figure 3A shows that the proportion of RVs is relatively low compared to the classical varieties of Vitis vinifera across all the French departments. We observed that, surprisingly, certain northern departments stand out; for example, Ardennes, Manche, and Morbihan, among others. In these departments, vineyard surfaces are smaller compared to other French wine regions (Figure 3B), so the proportions of RVs easily reach high levels. This may be due to new winegrowers considering RVs for developing viticulture in new territories where there is no GI history background. These evolutions in northern France are linked to climate change, which is encouraging growers to explore new production areas, as many traditional wine regions in the world will be threatened by it
We also observe (Figure 2) that the Occitanie Region (NTUS 2) in southern France is at the forefront of RV implantation nationally, representing 71% of the whole French RV area and reaching 858 ha from 2017 to 2021. Occitanie is also an important wine growing region representing almost 35% of the total French vineyard area (Supplemental Tables). This relative dynamism is particularly driven by the three departments located in the eastern part of this region, near the Mediterranean coast, in the ‘Languedoc’ region, departments which produce a lot of PGI wines, namely: Hérault, Aude and Gard (i.e., in total 759 ha, 63% of France RVs).
Issues, pros and cons
The slow implantation of RVs raises several questions related to the adoption and diffusion of RVs by various actors in the wine industry. The study by Doncieux et al. (2022)
However, national or regional financial aid to support the planting of these new RVs remains limited. As part of the "Défi Clé" Vinid'Occ initiative (funded by the Occitanie region), the RESSENTI project aims to weigh the pros and cons of the diffusion and adoption of RVs by producers, leading to more favorable regulatory measures and better funding to facilitate this process. This study will provide some insights to the decision-makers (politicians and administrators who must deploy aid in favor of wine growers) regarding RV adoption, which is a process influenced by individual characteristics of growers and collective parameters of professional networks. The study will benefit from bibliographic surveys that will give a prominent place to case studies in traditional wine-producing countries
Acknowledgements: The authors thank the Occitanie Region, Toulouse INP, Vignobles Foncalieu and Grands Chais de France for their financial support for the RESSENTI project through the Défi Clé Vinid’Oc research programme.
Notes
- 1. Töpfer, R., & Trapp, O. (2022). A cool climate perspective on grapevine breeding: climate change and sustainability are driving forces for changing varieties in a traditional market. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 135: 3947–3960 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-022-04077-0.
- 2. Montaigne, Et., Coelho A., & Khefifi, L. (2016). Economic issues and perspectives on innovation in new resistant grapevine varieties in France, Wine Economics and Policy. 5 (2), 73-77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wep.2016.11.002.
- 3. Moustier, F., &, Moustier P., (2019) « Mutations de l’encépagement et politiques de qualité dans les vignobles provençaux, XIX -XXI siècles. », Territoires du vin, 10, https://preo.u-bourgogne.fr/territoiresduvin/index.php?id=1768
- 4. Montaigne, E., Coelho, A., & Zadmehran, S. (2021). A comprehensive economic examination and prospects on innovation in new grapevine varieties dealing with global warming and fungal diseases. Sustainability, 13(23), 13254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313254.
- 5. European Commission (2018). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/273 of 11 December 2017; CELEX number: 32018R0273. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32018R0273
- 6. OSCAR (2017). Observatory for the deployment of disease resistant grape varieties. https://observatoire-cepages-resistants.fr/en/about/aims/
- 7. Boyer, J., & Touzard, J.M. (2021). To what extent do an innovation system and cleaner technological regime affect the decision-making process of climate change adaptation? Evidence from wine producers in three wine clusters in France, Journal of Cleaner Production, 315, 128218, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128218.
- 8. Paire, C., Dolet, M., Hannin, H., Samsom, A., Olivier, V., Chervin, C., Geffroy, O., & Cheriet, F. (2024). History of breeding programmes for fungus resistant grape varieties in Europe, France and the Occitanie region. IVES Technical Reviews. https://doi.org/10.20870/ives-tr.2024.8262
- 9. Paire, C., Dolet, M., Hannin, H., Samsom, A., Olivier, V., Chervin, C., Geffroy, O., & Cheriet, F. (2024). History of breeding programmes for fungus resistant grape varieties in Europe, France and the Occitanie region. IVES Technical Reviews. https://doi.org/10.20870/ives-tr.2024.8262
- 10. Montaigne, E., Coelho, A., & Zadmehran, S. (2021). A comprehensive economic examination and prospects on innovation in new grapevine varieties dealing with global warming and fungal diseases. Sustainability, 13(23), 13254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313254.
- 11. Boyer, J., & Touzard, J.M. (2021). To what extent do an innovation system and cleaner technological regime affect the decision-making process of climate change adaptation? Evidence from wine producers in three wine clusters in France, Journal of Cleaner Production, 315, 128218, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128218
- 12. Van Leeuwen, C., Sgubin, G., Bois, B., Ollat, N., Swingedouw, D., Zito, S., Gambetta, G.A. (2024). Climate change impacts and adaptations of wine production. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5(4), 258-275. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00521-5.
- 13. Gautier, J., & Rosaz, E. (2014). L’évolution de l’encépagement des indications géographiques françaises: outils de gestion du vignoble et contraintes subies. World Congress of Vine and Wine and 12th General Assembly of the OIV, 07009, https://doi.org/10.1051/oivconf/201407009
- 14. Doncieux, A., Yobrégat, O., Prudham, S., Caillon, S., & Renard, D. (2022). Agrobiodiversity dynamics in a French wine-growing region. OENO One, 56(4), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.4.5557.
- 15. Montaigne, Et., Coelho A., & Khefifi, L. (2016). Economic issues and perspectives on innovation in new resistant grapevine varieties in France, Wine Economics and Policy. 5 (2), 73-77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wep.2016.11.002.
- 16. Van Leeuwen, C., Sgubin, G., Bois, B., Ollat, N., Swingedouw, D., Zito, S., Gambetta, G.A. (2024). Climate change impacts and adaptations of wine production. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5(4), 258-275. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00521-5.
- 17. Doncieux, A., Yobrégat, O., Prudham, S., Caillon, S., & Renard, D. (2022). Agrobiodiversity dynamics in a French wine-growing region. OENO One, 56(4), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.4.5557.
- 18. Finger, R., Zachmann, L., & McCallum, C. (2023). Short Supply Chains and the Adoption Of Fungus-Resistant Grapevine Varieties. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 45(3): 1753–1775. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13337.
- 19. Pedneault, K., and Provost, C. (2016). “Fungus Resistant Grape Varieties as a Suitable Alternative for Organic Wine Production: Benefits, Limits, and Challenges.” Scientia Horticulturae 208: 57–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2016.03.016.
References
- Töpfer, R. and Trapp, O. (2022). A cool climate perspective on grapevine breeding: climate change and sustainability are driving forces for changing varieties in a traditional market. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 135: 3947–3960 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-022-04077-0
- Montaigne, Et., Coelho A., & Khefifi, L. (2016). Economic issues and perspectives on innovation in new resistant grapevine varieties in France, Wine Economics and Policy. 5 (2), 73-77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wep.2016.11.002
- Moustier, F., &, Moustier P., (2019) « Mutations de l’encépagement et politiques de qualité dans les vignobles provençaux, XIX -XXI siècles. », Territoires du vin, 10, https://preo.u-bourgogne.fr/territoiresduvin/index.php?id=1768
- Montaigne, E., Coelho, A., & Zadmehran, S. (2021). A comprehensive economic examination and prospects on innovation in new grapevine varieties dealing with global warming and fungal diseases. Sustainability, 13(23), 13254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313254
- European Commission (2018). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/273 of 11 December 2017; CELEX number: 32018R0273. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32018R0273
- OSCAR (2017). Observatory for the deployment of disease resistant grape varieties. https://observatoire-cepages-resistants.fr/en/about/aims/
- Boyer, J., & Touzard, J.M. (2021). To what extent do an innovation system and cleaner technological regime affect the decision-making process of climate change adaptation? Evidence from wine producers in three wine clusters in France, Journal of Cleaner Production, 315, 128218, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128218
- Paire, C., Dolet, M., Hannin, H., Samsom, A., Olivier, V., Chervin, C., Geffroy, O., & Cheriet, F. (2024). History of breeding programmes for fungus resistant grape varieties in Europe, France and the Occitanie region. IVES Technical Reviews. https://doi.org/10.20870/ives-tr.2024.8262
- Van Leeuwen, C., Sgubin, G., Bois, B., Ollat, N., Swingedouw, D., Zito, S., Gambetta, G.A. (2024). Climate change impacts and adaptations of wine production. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5(4), 258-275. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00521-5
- Gautier, J., & Rosaz, E. (2014). L’évolution de l’encépagement des indications géographiques françaises: outils de gestion du vignoble et contraintes subies. World Congress of Vine and Wine and 12th General Assembly of the OIV, 07009, https://doi.org/10.1051/oivconf/201407009
- Doncieux, A., Yobrégat, O., Prudham, S., Caillon, S., & Renard, D. (2022). Agrobiodiversity dynamics in a French wine-growing region. OENO One, 56(4), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.4.5557
- Finger, R., Zachmann, L., & McCallum, C. (2023). Short Supply Chains and the Adoption Of Fungus-Resistant Grapevine Varieties. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 45(3): 1753–1775. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13337
- Pedneault, K., and Provost, C. (2016). “Fungus Resistant Grape Varieties as a Suitable Alternative for Organic Wine Production: Benefits, Limits, and Challenges.” Scientia Horticulturae 208: 57–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2016.03.016
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