Publications

Abstract It is years like 2021 in Switzerland when producers begin to ask themselves what could the future of viti-vini-culture look like. Late frost, hailstorms and a high pressure of downy mildew led to catastrophic yield losses across Switzerland, which could not be saved by increased fungicide use. Robust grape cultivars had more success than traditional grape cultivars and have subsequently been ordered en masse from grapevine nurseries. How do these cultivars stand up in the field and in the glass? We review the results from Agroscope’s grape cultivar testing in Wädenswil, expert tasting panels of wines from robust cultivars, and winegrower and consumer acceptance projects to better understand the current state of robust grape cultivars in Switzerland and which gaps in knowledge need to be filled. The vineyard area of robust grape cultivars in Switzerland has increased over the last decade, representing both Swiss and internationally bred robust cultivars. Generally, winegrowers are motivated by fewer fungicide applications and therefore reduced management costs and environmental consequences. Winemakers are producing both single cultivar and cuvee wines for the market, which has helped to increase consumer awareness of these wines. However, there is a lack of consumer acceptance tastings and more effort needs to be made in order to best support winegrowers in developing appropriate marketing strategies. Research institutes need to continue enological experiments in order to increase knowledge on ideal winemaking methods and potential challenges for winemakers, which due to their short history has not yet been possible.