🌿 Hybrid grape

A hybrid grape is a grapevine obtained by crossing Vitis vinifera with other species of the genus Vitis. The subgenus Vitis has over 80 species, from Asia (for example V. amurensis), North America (V. labrusca, V. aestivalis, V. berlandieri, V. riparia, V. rupestris) and Eurasia (V. vinifera). The subgenus Muscadinia has two species.

Hybrids are bred for resistance. Benefits include resistance to downy and powdery mildew, which helps sustainable viticulture and the reduction of pesticides. Muscadinia rotundifolia, from the south-east of the United States, has been studied for its total resistance to powdery and downy mildew, although crossing it with V. vinifera is technically difficult. V. amurensis is very resistant to low temperature. China began breeding programmes in the 1950s, mainly to obtain cold-resistant red grapes, and crossed V. amurensis with V. vinifera varieties. The resulting varieties are grown on thousands of hectares and are important raw materials for winemaking in north-east China.

Hybrids are commonly used in non-European countries. In Brazil, sparkling wines are frequently based on V. labrusca and hybrids, and in Rio Grande do Sul only 7% of vineyards are planted with European varieties. In Europe there are also interspecific hybrids, for example Aletta in Hungary, registered in 2009.

Not all countries accept hybrids for commercial wine. Concerns include foxy aroma and strawberry flavours, and high methanol or malvidin content: the OIV compendium sets a maximum of 15 mg/L of malvidin diglucoside in wine. Since 2016 an OIV working group has been drafting definitions of interspecific hybrid, direct-producer hybrid and resistant variety.