Hybrid Theory: Modern Wines from Hybrid Vines

H Y B R I D T H E O RYM OD ER N W I N ES FR OM HYBR I D V I N ES

BY: J OR DA N C OW E, C W ETW I TT ER: @ J D C OW E

W H AT A R E H Y B R I D S ?

W H AT A R E H Y BR I D S ?

• Biology

• Viticulture

• Vitis Overview

• Vitis Species

• History of Vinifera Hybrids

H Y BR I D S :B I O LO GY

• When speaking of hybrids there exists several varying uses of the term across various fields.

• Most typically refers to interspecific hybrids between to genetically distinct species.

• Occasionally refers to Intraspecific hybrids between genetically distinct cultivars or populations of the same species.

H Y BR I D S :V I T I C U LT U R E

• Within the realm of Wine and Viticulture we are almost always referring to Interspecific Hybrids.

• Crossings of two or more distinct species of Vitis. Ex. V. Vinifera x V. Labrusca

• Crossings of distinct varietals within the same species are not considered hybrids for the purpose of wine.

V I T I S OV E RV I E W

• Vitis is a diverse Genus of approximately 60 species of grape vines.

• The vast majority of known Vitis species are native to North America or Asia.

• Additionally almost all species of Vitis have 38 Chromosomes allowing for near universal ability to create hybrids with fertile offspring.

• Small exception found in the Muscadinia family having 40 chromosomes making crosses with other species extremely rarely fertile.

M A J O R V I T I S S PE C I E S

• Among the approximately 60 species of grape vine only a select few have found significant wide spread usage in wine including:

• Vitis Vinifera

• Vitis Labrusca

• Vitis Aestivalis

• Vitis Riparia

• Vitis Rupestris

• Vitis Berlandieri

V I N I FERA HY BR I D H I ST ORY

• Major developments in Hybrid Grapes largely date to the early 19th Century.

• Some early crossings were made to attempt to improve the flavour profile of grapes grown in North America.

• The largest developments occurred later in the 19th century with the introduction of phylloxera and downy and powdery mildews to Europe.

• Due to resistance experienced by North American grapes to these blights interest in hybrids increased dramatically.

• Later when the idea of grafting came to light as a serious option hybrids became an option for tailoring rootstocks to the needs of European soils.

• In particular the ability of V. Berlandieri to thrive in alkaline soils was particularly needed.

U S E S O F H Y B R I D S

U S E S O F H Y BR I D S

• Overview

• Rootstocks

• Pest Resistance

• Disease resistance

• Weather resistance

• Production Cost

H Y B R I D US AG E OVE RV I E W• When thinking of hybrids we tend

to think primarily of grapes from cold growing regions.

• Hybrids are however just as if not more important as rootstocks.

• Hybrids also have great utility in regions that experience other extreme weather and growing conditions.

• Additionally the tolerance of many hybrids to harsh growing conditions and grape pests has made them of great interest to Environmentally Friendly Viticukture.

H Y BR I D R O O T S T O C K S

• While there are still some regions with own rooted vines and some single species rootstocks the vast majority are hybrids of various species.

• By tailoring the specific rootstock chosen to the region being grown in you can often improve the quality of fruit being produced. Sometimes even over own rooted vines.

• The reason for this importance comes from the ability to use the rootstock to influence vigour, yields, cold tolerance, nutrient uptake, soil tolerance and other aspects of grape production.

P E S T R E S I S TA N C E

• Given a co-evolution of many North American Grape Vines and the pests affecting modern wine production hybrid vines can be bred to have the tolerance needed to these pests.

• The most significant for rootstock production and hybrid grape production around the world is resistance to phylloxera.

• Less significant but important nonetheless for certain regions is rootstock resistance to nematodes which have become an increasing problem.

D I S E A S E R E S I S TA N C E

• Similar to pest resistance it is also possible to Breed hybrids with resistance to many disease.

• Most significant for many regions are Downy and Powdery Mildew as well as various rots.

• Increasing research is being put into developing hybrids with tolerance to Pierce's Disease. A characteristic found in Bunch Grapes and several cultivars of Muscadine among other grapes from the south eastern United States.

W E AT H E R R E S I S TA N C E

• Some of the most useful applications of hybrids have been in the areas of weather and climate resistance.

• Cold hardiness and early ripening characteristics have been a big target for many. Most recently developments from the University of Minnesota have yielded gapes tolerant of temperatures as low as -38* C.

• Elsewhere crossings have allowed grapes more tolerant of drought or overly humid environments.

P R OD U C T I O N C O S T S

• In case all of the above points haven't added up one big benefit is lowered environmental impact and production cost.

• With a grape tailored to your climate, with built in disease and weather resistance and potentially lowered vigour and increased yields costs drop significantly.

• All of these factors generally mean less labour and spraying required to produce more fruit. For many growers this is a win win.

DE VE LOPM E NTS I N H YB R I D GRAP E S

DE V E LO P M E N T S I N HY B R I D G RA P E S

• Early Hybrids

• Adoption around the World

• Modern Hybrids

• Expanding Viticultural Possibilities

E A R LY H Y BR I D S

• As mentioned earlier, most early hybrids with few exceptions were largely focused on phylloxera tolerance to solve the growing issues with the pest.

• Many of these were producing wines of low quality or were unsuitable to the new regions they were planted in.

• This early experience created what have become many of the longstanding misconceptions about hybrids.

H Y BR I D A D O P T I O N

• Despite initial troubles there were still many researchers with great interest in the potential of creating better hybrids.

• Most significantly in the Mid-West, Northeast and Canada hybrids reigned supreme up until the 1970's and 80's and in some regions are still the only grapes widely seen.

• The later generation hybrids were often much more precisely suited and had much better flavour characteristics but the perceptions of hybrid grapes lingered in the wine world as a whole.

M OD E R N H Y BR I D S

• Hybrid development has continued in many wine growing regions around the world.

• Modern technology has allowed increases to the speed with which new hybrids can be created and the precision with which traits can be selected.

• This increased precision has allowed for the creation of hybrids at are largely of Vinifera parentage yet still retain the desireable traits of native grape species.

• Hybrid developments have allowed the spread and adoption of viticulture to far northern regions previously too hostile for grape vines.

E X PA N D I N G V I T I C U LT U R E

• While technology has allowed for wine production even from Vinifera in previously unsuitable regions, hybrids have taken this further.

• Many extreme climates such as Quebec, Minnesota, Atlantic Canada, the Northeast have been able to produce grapes using new cold hardy hybrids.

• Even regions such as Norway and Scotland are seeing limited grape production.

PR O BL E M S W I TH H YBR I D US AG E

H Y BR I D P R OBL E M S

• Consumer Familiarity

• Marketability

• Flavour Characteristics

• Growing/Winemaking Characteristics

C O N S U M E R FA M I L I A R I T Y

• One of the largest barriers to hybrids adoption as any new varietal is consumer familiarity.

• Most consumers by largely based on what they are familiar with and outside of regions with significant hybrid presence by necessity they are largely unknown.

• Additionally hybrid grapes have traditionally had an extremely negative perception among the wine world. Even among those who have never tasted a hybrid based wine.

M A R K E TA B I L I T Y

• With a lack of consumer familiarity and a low perception of quality among the wine industry the marketability of hybrid wines suffer significantly.

• Part of the difficulty with hybrids are they largely require a hands on approach to sales. In the winery when given the opportunity to try the wines many consumers end up liking the wines and buying them.

• The difficulty comes from getting the consumer to try the wine in the first place.

FL AVOU RC H A RACTER I ST I CS

• While new more traditional tasting hybrids have been developed many of the most planted hybrids are older and produce less Vinifera like wines.

• Many red hybrids such as Baco Noir or St. Croix can have a heavily meaty earthy flavour profile and an unusual acid and tannin balance.

• Many white hybrids especially those with Labrusca parentage can suffer more heavily from a musky aroma layered in with the fruit profile. This is often associated with Labrusca's "Foxy" characteristic.

• Additionally many wines from hybrid grapes are produced sweet due to marginal climates or local consumer preference.

G R O W I N G /W I N E M A K I N G

• While many hybrids, especially modern ones have great suitability to regional climates and are fairly easy to grow there are some issues faced by hybrid wine makers.

• One of the largest of these issues for several varieties can be Acid/pH balance and tannin structure.

• It is not uncommon for some varietals such as Back Noir to hit high levels of sugar and flavour ripeness but still posses extremely high TA AND high pH.

• This particular problem can be very tough to remedy as dropping the TA can lead to an unstable and overly high pH. Often winemaking with hybrids can be a balancing act requiring significant must adjustment.

M O DE R N Q U A L I T Y W I N E S F R O M H Y B R I D S

MODE RN QU AL I T Y W I NE S F ROM HY BR I DS

• Norton

• V. Amurensis x V. Vinifera

• Aromatic White Wines

• Baco Noir

• Marechal Foche

• Minnesota Hybrids

• Regent

• Icewine

• Armagnac

N ORT O N

• Originally thought to be a cultivar of V. Aestivalis and later discovered to be a Hybrid of V. Aestivalis and V. Vinifera Norton is one of the hybrids with the longest standing reputations of quality.

• Developed in the early 19th century it won several international medals before prohibition.

• Early in the phylloxera blight there was interest in growing the grape in France however poor suitability of the grape to many of the Alkaline soils led to a loss of interest.

V. A M U R E N S I S X V. V I N I F E RA• A unique hybrid of V.

Amurensis from eastern Russia and Northern China and V. Vinifera has led to an extremely cold hardy grape with great flavour characteristics.

• Found at Dr. Konstantin Frank's in the finger lakes as the Cuvee d'Amour it shows many classic red characteristics in a region little known for red wines.

A R O M AT I C W H I T E W I N E S

• Many of the most planted hybrids are used for making aromatic white wines.

• Two great examples of this characteristic are Vidal Blanc and Vignoles/Ravat 51.

• Through practice some producers have learned to produce great examples of these grapes.

• Some examples of Ravat 51 can even be mistaken for a sweeter style of Mosel Riesling when tasted blind.

Q U E S T I O N S ?

C ON TAC TJ OR DA N C OW ETW I TT ER: @ J D C OW EEM A I L : J OR DA N @OEN OS I TY. C OM