By Lewis Crofts - 11th February 2004
Europe's wine producing countries are digging in their heels over allowing science to tinker with their precious traditional grape varieties.
The European Commission tested the water earlier in the week with a report on the viability of using “interspecific vine varieties” – in layman’s terms adapting a grape usually meant for a quality wine like Bordeaux to make a hardier hybrid.
At a meeting of national agriculture experts in Brussels this week, Nordic states, the UK, Austria and the Czech Republic were all in favour of extending the use of these vines under certain conditions.
But France is leading the resistance alongside other wine producers among the Mediterranean countries as well as Germany.
At the Special Committee on Agriculture this week officials from those countries said they prefered to wait for more scientific data before allowing new hybrids alongside age-old varieties that have taken centuries to perfect by traditional means.
After the 1999 reform of the EU’s wine regime, Brussels was asked to look into the viability of making hybrids from these specific vines which are usually reserved for only the premium quality wines.
Four years later it seems Brussels is no closer to resolving the question and an official proposal will have to wait.
“Southern European states are very attached to tradition and quality,” said Christina Rueda of COPA-COGECA, referring to the usual division between north and south Europe over wine-making.
“In fact, the consumer is asking for less complicated wines. This just complicates the perception of the market.”
Rueda added that there was virtually no economic or consumer-health impact in these vine varieties and it essentially came down to a question of tradition.
Brussels will be looking to clear this issue up since countries like Romania - waiting in the wings for EU accession - produces almost 50 per cent of its wines from these hybrids.
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