Study Finds Fungus-Resistant French Wines Resemble Traditional Wines in Taste

Researchers in France have found that wines made from fungus-resistant grape varieties in the south of the country do not show a clear sensory break from wines made from traditional Vitis vinifera grapes, a result that could ease a major concern for growers and wine producers weighing a shift to more disease-resistant vineyards.

The findings were published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal OENO One. The study examined 76 wines over two consecutive years, including 43 whites and 33 reds, produced from both fungus-resistant grape varieties and established Vitis vinifera varieties in southern France.

The work comes as French and European wine regions face pressure to cut pesticide use and adapt vineyards to climate change. Fungus-resistant grapes are drawing attention because they can sharply reduce treatments against downy mildew and powdery mildew, two major fungal diseases. According to the study, these varieties can lower spray applications from about 10 to 15 treatments to only two or three. For the beverage business, that matters because better sensory evidence can reduce uncertainty about whether more sustainable vineyard choices will still deliver wines that fit market expectations.

The research team said sensory information on these wines has been limited, especially for bottles produced under the warmer conditions of southern France. To address that gap, trained tasters evaluated commercial and experimental wines mainly from Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The panel used the Check-All-That-Apply, or CATA, method, which asks tasters to select all descriptors that match a wine’s aroma and taste profile from a predefined list.

The sensory sessions were carried out at INRAE’s research unit in Montpellier in 2023 and 2024. Nineteen panelists took part in the first year and 17 in the second. The study also included replicate samples to confirm panel consistency.

The main result was that fungus-resistant wines showed a broad range of sensory profiles and, taken as a group, were comparable to conventional wines. The researchers reported no clear separation between the two categories. In practical terms, that means the resistant varieties in this sample did not produce a common, unusual profile that would set them apart in a negative way from standard wines of the region.

That point may be especially important for growers who have been cautious about planting newer resistant grapes out of concern that the wines could taste atypical and prove harder to sell. The authors said their results suggest these varieties can be planted without creating an obvious sensory penalty.

The white wines showed the greatest variability. The researchers said their profiles appeared to be strongly influenced by climate and vintage, with noticeable differences from year to year and across growing areas. The red wines, by contrast, displayed more defined patterns. Among individual varieties, Vidoc stood out for showing a wider range of profiles, while Artaban appeared more stable across sites and years.

The wines came from several breeding programs in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. The resistant varieties in the study included Floreal, Voltis, Vidoc, Artaban, Souvignier gris, Muscaris, Cabernet blanc, Soreli, Sauvignac, Pinotin, Cabernet noir, Cabernet Jura, Cabernet Cortis, and Merlot Khorus, among others. For comparison, the researchers included familiar Vitis vinifera wines such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Viognier, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, Pinot noir, and Syrah.

The researchers noted that both experimental and commercial wines were used. Experimental wines offered 100% varietal purity. Commercial wines could legally include up to 15% of other varieties despite varietal labeling, though the team said wineries confirmed composition when possible.

The study also places the current shift toward resistant grapes in a broader historical and commercial context. France once had a large area planted with hybrid direct producer vines, which at their peak covered about 400,000 hectares, or 30% of the national vineyard area, before regulation sharply reduced their role after World War II. More recent breeding programs have focused on disease resistance while aiming to preserve wine quality closer to Vitis vinifera standards.

The first four varieties from INRAE’s RESDUR program, Floreal, Voltis, Vidoc, and Artaban, were added to the French catalog in 2018. France had 2,270 hectares of tolerant or fully resistant grape varieties in 2023, according to the study, and interest has been especially strong in the south, particularly in Occitanie.

Previous work in North America and some cooler European regions had raised questions about whether interspecific hybrid wines might show distinct aromatic markers or stronger sensory differences. The new French study does not rule out differences in specific cases, but it suggests the overall picture in southern France is more mixed and less sharply divided than some producers may have feared.

The authors said more work is still needed. They called for detailed analysis of aroma compounds and for preference testing with both experts and consumers. They also said future studies should compare reactions when tasters are told that a wine comes from a resistant variety and when that information is withheld, since that could affect acceptance in the market. They recommended similar research in other French wine regions as planting of resistant grapes expands.

For producers, the result does not amount to a guarantee that all resistant varieties will perform the same way in every place or vintage. But it does offer evidence that, at least across this large southern French sample, these wines can cover a wide sensory range without forming a clearly separate category from traditional wines. That could make decisions on vineyard renewal less risky for wineries trying to balance sustainability, regulation, and consumer demand.