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Vineyards with a protected designation of origin in Europe may in future also be planted with PIWI varieties. These grape varieties, which are resistant to fungal diseases such as powdery and downy mildew, are new varieties. For them, vines from the Vitis vinifera species are crossed with those from Asia (Vitis amurensis) or America (Vitis rupestris) in order to obtain their resistance characteristics. Until now, only Vitis vinifera vines were permitted for wines from appellations with a protected designation of origin - i.e. also site wines. The aim is to reduce the use of plant protection products in viticulture.
(al / Source: Vitisphere; Photo: Creative Commons Thorbjoern Joerger)