The Resurgence of Indigenous Grapes

According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, there are 6000 Vitis vinifera grapes.

If you are doing a count in your head and the list is short, there is a good reason. Thirteen grape varieties cover one third of the world’s vineyards, and 33 cover half. Those grapes that have been widely planted in multiple wine regions such as Merlot and Chardonnay are known as international varieties, while indige- nous varieties refer to grapes that are associat- ed to a particular region and have a long record of being grown there. Autochthonous grapes carry a rich heritage and play an important role both culturally and financially in their respective countries. While indigenous grapes may not be as well known by wine consumers, new wine trends and the challenges brought by climate change could change this.

The reason why only a few varieties cover a large portion of the world’s vineyards is due to a series of devastating incidents. Namely two world wars, phylloxera, and fungal diseases like downy mildew and powdery mildew. As a result of those challenging events, wine producers opted to abandon grapes that were dicult to grow, and instead replant with high- er yielding varieties that also had the ability to retain their appealing aromatics and structure when grown across several wine regions. Glo- balization coupled with the success of variety labelling in North America also contributed to the widespread of what we now refer to as international grapes.