A group of French winemakers has been planting hybrid grape varieties resistant to vine diseases like mildew, aiming to eliminate the need for pesticides and other chemical sprays widely used in traditional viticulture. But partisans of hybrids are few in number, and both producers and consumers will have to be convinced to give up their cabernet sauvignons, chardonnays and pinot noirs.
Gamay is known as the grape that made Beaujolais famous. But despite the worldwide success of the region’s wine, one local winegrower, Lilian Bauchet, has decided to call time on gamay.
Bauchet says he will pull up his last gamay vines at the end of October.
In their place, he will grow only hybrid grape varieties, created by cross breeding different species of vines. The aim is to eliminate the need for pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other phytosanitary treatments by growing plants that are pest-resistant.
Bauchet came to winemaking relatively late after working as a computer scientist, and one of his first observations in his adopted métier was the copious amounts of chemicals used in the vineyard.
In France, since the end of World War II, almost all wine consumed has come from the same species, Vitis vinifera. But vinifera grapes are highly susceptible to diseases such as mildew and powdery mildew, which can do enormous damage and even destroy an entire crop.
To protect their vines, grape-growers in France, and nearly everywhere, spray their vineyards extensively with herbicides and fungicides. (Winemakers who adopt organic methods of cultivation in France use the so-called “Bordeaux mixture” of copper sulphate in use since the 19th century to prevent infestations).
Notably, although viticulture accounts for only 3.7 percent of France’s agricultural land, it accounts for 20 percent of the phytosanitary products used in the agricultural sector, according to the French Wine and Vine Institute.
“It was when I bought my farm about 20 years ago that I realised how many products we need to keep our vines healthy,” says Bauchet. “But I quickly wanted to find a way to do things differently.”
Pesticides are everywhere
He first tried organic farming but wasn’t sold. “It still required a lot of inputs,” he says, remembering the persistent smell of sulfur that clung to his clothes. “And, unfortunately, everything is much more difficult with organic farming. Our production and results are very unpredictable because they are so dependent on the weather.”
Bauchet heard about another option almost by chance: using grape varieties that are more resistant to disease and therefore do not require spraying with chemicals.
Since the emergence of vine diseases at the end of the 19th century, botanists have been trying to create vinifera plants that are less susceptible to pests. To do this, they used American varieties (Vitis riparia, Vitis labrusca, Vitis rupestris) as rootstock onto which native Vitis vinifera varieties were grafted.
“These early hybrids proved their worth in the last century, but they gradually fell into oblivion. Winegrowers preferred to keep their traditional, local vines – ‘their terroir’ – and resort to chemical solutions,” says Bauchet. “Today, we need to restore them to their rightful place and rediscover more natural wines,” he says.
For two years, the Vitis Batardus Liberata association, currently chaired by Bauchet, has been trying to promote hybrids in French vineyards. “We are trying to raise awareness of them, catalogue them, and show our colleagues their agronomic value,” Bauchet says.
But for many winemakers, deeply attached to their heritage, the reputation of a wine is wedded to a traditional grape variety, so experimenting with hybrids holds little appeal. “In families who have built everything around a grape variety and who have owned a vineyard for centuries in some cases, it’s normal to be reluctant to change,” Bauchet notes, acknowledging that “it will be a long road to bring about real change.”
Today, cultivating hybrid grape varieties still seems to be the preserve of a few eccentrics. In 2025, there were just under 3,000 hectares of pest-resistant hybrids planted in France. By comparison, the country totalled 789,000 hectares of vineyards in 2023, according to the ministry of agriculture.
But Bauchet insists that hybrids have many advantages. By not having to spray chemicals, “we save a lot of time and money,” he says. “But above all, without these products on our hands, we can rediscover the real pleasure of working with plants.”
A ‘hybrid’ Champagne
In their quest for pesticide-free vineyards, the 150 or so members of the Vitis Batardus Liberata association can count on the help of scientists from the Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, or INRAE).
For the past 20 years, researchers have been working to create a new generation of hybrid grapes that are pest-resistant and adapted to different French wine-growing regions. There is a hybrid for every climate. Examples include “Muscaris,” “Cabernet Blanc” and “Cabernet Cortis” in the Languedoc-Roussillon and Bordeaux regions; “Divico” and ‘Johanniter’ in Switzerland, and “Voltis” in Champagne.
The bid to promote hybrids has been a “long obstacle course,” says Komlan Avia, a researcher in genetics and vine improvement at INRAE, who notes that the project “began in the early 2000s” and is now starting to bear fruit.
After fifteen years of laboratory research, crossbreeding and genetic analysis, the first modern hybrid grape varieties were planted in 2019 in selected vineyards in the Mediterranean Hérault region, in the Bordeaux region and in Champagne. They gradually won official backing and were allowed to be commercialised.
The taste challenge
“Today, 12 hybrid grape varieties are commercially available. And there will soon be 17,” says Avia. “It’s a huge success. While a traditional grape variety requires an average of 18 pesticide treatments per year, a hybrid variety only needs two or three. That’s a huge difference!” he notes.
“But for there to be a real impact, hybrids must be adopted by winegrowers,” he notes.
Another government body, the Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité (French National Institute of Origin and Quality, or INAO) could play a role in promoting wider acceptance of hybrids.
The INAO is responsible for certification of agricultural products like wine and cheese with the aim of protecting distinctive and traditional regional products.
It bestows an AOC label – appellation d’origine contrôlée – an official certification of authenticity, on a given product from a defined geographical area.
The INAO recently authorised the inclusion of hybrid grape varieties in certain prestigious wines such as Champagne. “In other words, winegrowers will be able to grow a proportion of hybrid grape varieties on their estates and retain their appellation,” Avia says. He hopes this validation will reassure winegrowers and pique the interest of those open to planting hybrids.
One last major hurdle remains – winning over consumers’ palates. “For a long time, wines made from hybrid grape varieties had a bad reputation. They were considered poor quality and said to taste bad,” says Bauchet.
“But this criticism is just a generalisation,” he argues. “Not all grape varieties are equal. Certainly, some produce harsh wines. Others are very distinctive, with a strong taste of red fruits and a musky flavour. But others are very similar to our traditional grape varieties.”
“Ultimately, I trust consumers,” Bauchet says. “We’ve already had the natural wine movement, which has broadened our taste horizons. And some consumers may be looking for a different, sometimes more complex taste than traditional wines.” Not to mention that some people “are surely willing to drink these wines simply for what they represent – natural wines from the vineyard to the cellar,” he says.
This article has been translated from the original in French by David Howley.
Dining and Cooking