A quiet revolution is growing in the vineyards of Champagne. For the first time in the appellation's modern history, a disease-resistant hybrid has been authorized by appellation authorities. Its implications reach far beyond the chalky hillsides of the Marne.
Voltis, a hybrid grape developed through a collaboration between INRAE (the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) and Germany’s Julius Kühn Institute, was approved for use in Champagne at the end of 2022 under France’s VIFA framework (Varieties of Interest for Adaptation), which allows regions to experiment with new grape varieties. Regulators authorized the first plantings in 2023.
Why plant a new grape? Voltis is genetically resistant to both downy mildew and powdery mildew, the twin fungal scourges that have long troubled viticulture in humid northern climates. Those scourges often lead growers to spray chemicals on their vines.
"You have to see Voltis as one element of the toolbox," explained Géraldine Uriel, who heads the Comité Champagne’s plant material and production service and has overseen the variety's evaluation since experimental plantings began in 2010. "We need to reduce phytosanitary treatments as much as possible. The vineyards near houses, on steep slopes—these are examples of situations where Voltis will be particularly relevant.”
The grape’s mildew resistance is not incidental. Researchers bred multiple grape varieties, including American grapevines such as Vitis rotundifolia, aka Muscadine, to create Voltis. The variety retains approximately 95% Vitis vinifera genes through successive backcrossing, a ratio that qualified it for regulatory purposes as a vinifera variety in France and opened the door to being allowed in wine appellations.
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