New Disease-Resistant White Grape Variety
Named in homage to the Celtic spring goddess, Divona helps promote ecologically friendly viticulture by reducing the use of plant-protection products. Produced from a cross between the varieties ‘Gamaret’ and ‘Bronner’, Divona shares the same parentage as her big brother, the red-wine variety Divico. The new variety boasts good resistance to botrytis blight (grey mould), and very high oenological potential thanks to Gamaret. From Bronner, it has inherited a high resistance to both powdery and downy mildew. ‘IRAC 2060’, Divona’s code name, was selected from among thousands of candidates on the basis of numerous agronomic, analytical and oenological criteria.
Very Good Cultivation Properties
Divona is an early-ripening grape variety (like Müller-Thurgau). This means that warmer winegrowing areas as well as soils with low water availability are to be avoided in its cultivation. In regions at risk of damage from birds, appropriate protection must be ensured. Divona has moderate vigour, a relatively upright habit, and high productivity, which often requires regulation of the harvest. Depending on disease pressure, only one to three treatments are needed for downy and powdery mildew during flowering and fruit set.
High Promise at Tastings
The wines produced from Divona grapes are rated very highly at tastings. They are structured and possess a fine bouquet, with exotic fruit and citrus flavours, often complemented by floral and mineral notes. The grape variety is already cultivated on a network of experimental plots throughout Switzerland, on farms with both integrated and organic production. Winemaking trials conducted at Agroscope as well as observations from the trial network enable the adaptation of Divona to different terroirs, and allow a fine-tuning of the winemaking methods that are most suitable for this grape variety.
