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n the wine world, hybrid grape varieties and crosses are similar to
the crazy uncle at the Thanksgiving table. He may be amusing, but
you wouldn’t want to spend your summer vacation with him.
Consumers can easily confuse a hybrid with a cross, but they
are different. A hybrid is the result of combining two distinct grape spe-
cies. Most common wine varieties (such as Chardonnay, Cabernet, or
Pinot Noir) belong to the Vitis vinifera species. When you join a vinifera
grape with a member of Vitis labrusca or Vitis riparia, you get a hybrid;
famous examples include Maréchal Foch, Vidal, and Vignoles. A cross,
on the other hand, unites grape varieties from the same species, such as
the South African Pinotage (a cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir).
Most hybrids are born of necessity. Vidal Blanc and Vignoles were
engineered to survive severely cold climates, where wine grapes other-wise wouldn’t grow. At the other end of the thermostat, warm-weather
hybrids such as Blanc du Bois (developed at the University of Florida in
1968) were designed for regions such as Texas, Georgia, or Louisiana,
where vine diseases prevent conventional wine grapes from flourishing.
Among fans of familiar varieties, part of the resistance to hybrids is
olfactory: Unlike standards such as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, hybrids
tend to have a distinctive gamey or foxy aroma. Part of it is fashion: Many
modern wine consumers have been acculturated to prefer dry wine, and
they tend to think of Southern wine as sweet. In fact, Blanc du Bois can
produce a dry, crisp, and floral white wine as well as a dessert version,
but preconceptions sometimes die harder than Bruce Willis.
Crosses of grapes within the same species may also be designed to
solve a problem. This was the motivation for professor Luigi ManzoniI
Grape hybrids and crosses help to solve oenology issues
and increase selection for WINE LOVERS
WHEN TWO Become One
OFF THE VINE
By Mark Spivak