Disease resistant grapevine varieties and quality: the case of Bouquet varieties

Abstract

The disease resistant grapevine varieties (ref A. Bouquet) were obtained by INRA from 4 or 5 generations of backcrossing between Muscadinia rotundifolia and Vitis vinifera and exhibit a high level of resistance against downy and powdery mildew. These varieties carry the resistance genes RUN 1 and RPV1, with several other secondary genes at one chromosomal locus. Agronomic criteria were studied for all these selections. Among the selected grapevine species, some have high levels of polyphenols. Some (white and red) have a high aromatic potential, while others have low sugar contents (135 g/L to 150 g/L) and adapted sugar/acidity ratio. All these characteristics were combined to design a new set of vine cultivars dedicated to the production of either low-alcohol wines, grape juices, or classical wines. Since 2012, within a France Agrimer/CIVL/INRA financial framework, 10 plots (0.5 ha each) were planted at INRA Pech Rouge with 8 resistant grape varieties (ref A. Bouquet) in order to examine long-term resistance to diseases and to define quality criteria for the classification of the wines obtained from these new grape varieties.

Keywords

• grapevine
• Bouquet varieties
• disease resistance
• mildew
• low-alcohol wines