Since 2000, INRA has been conducting a varietal innovation programme called ResDur. The purpose is to produce quality varieties with long-term resistance to the main grapevine fungal diseases. The programme came to fruition in January 2018, when four varieties were added to the official catalogue. The wine produced using varieties, which are naturally resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew, is considered as good as wines made from traditional grapes. By helping to drastically cut the use of agrochemicals, these new varieties – called Artaban, Floreal, Vidoc and Voltis – pave the way for more eco-friendly and efficient winegrowing.

Resistant Thanks to Their American Heritage:
These four new varieties were obtained by crossing some of INRA’s parent stocks, selected by Alain Bouquet, and by using varieties from the German Federal Vine Improvement Institute (Julius Kuhn Institut). These parent stocks were chosen for their quality characteristics and additional resistance traits. As part of the ResDur-specific crossbreeding strategy, 2 downy mildew resistance genes from Vitis rotundifolia were coupled with 2 powdery mildew resistance genes from a group of species, predominantly Vitis rupestris.

Promising Potentila for Winegrowing, Winemaking and the Environment:
The four varieties are fully resistant to powdery mildew and highly resistant to downy mildew. Depending on the disease pressure, additional fungicide treatments are recommended in smaller quantity to keep pathogen populations under control. The result is an 80% reduction in fungicide use. The maturity period of the new varieties is suitable for many winegrowing regions in France. The same goes for productivity, ranging from mid to high. As for the wines produced, their quality is considered on par with more renowned control grape varieties. Their organoleptic profiles are somewhere between Artaban and Vidoc (red wines) or Floreal and Voltis (white wines).