Hybrids mean "of two origins" or "created by mixing" or colloquially (sometimes derogatorily) also refers to a crossbreed, bastard, or blend. In scientific terminology, it refers to a living organism (plant, animal) that has arisen from the crossing of parents from different breeding lines (genus = Genus or species = Species). Spontaneous crossings that occur in nature without human intervention are primarily referred to as natural hybrids, especially in plants. In viticulture, hybrids are understood to be the results of crossings between different species or genera.
Strictly speaking, crossings of the same species are also hybrids (intraspecific = within the species). However, hybrids are generally understood to be only interspecific or intergeneric crossings.
In plants, this does not appear as spectacular as in animals, and is not immediately recognizable even to experts. This is quite different in the animal world, where the most well-known examples are mules (female donkey x male horse), hinnies (female horse x male donkey), and ligers (male lion x female tiger).
American hybrids are crossings of two different species. When first crossed, they are referred to as primary hybrids. However, in new breeding, hybrids with American genes (e.g., Vitis cinerea, Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, etc.) with the desired properties are usually crossed with a European cultivar (Vitis vinifera). The result is then secondary hybrids. Most of the varieties that are partly resistant to phylloxera and fungi were developed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
Many possess the intrusive Foxton, which disqualifies them for wine production at least in Europe. These varieties created in the USA are called American hybrids, although European genes are also included. These include Agawam, Albania, Alden, America, Blanc du Bois, Campbell Early, Cayuga White, Clinton, Concord, Elvira, Delaware, Dutchess, Herbemont, Hopkins, Horizon, Iona, Isabella, Jacquez, Melody, Missouri Riesling, Munson, Niagara White, Norton, Noah, Orlando Seedless, Othello, Rubired, Taylor, Traminette, and Vênus.
The complex crossing products of the late 19th and early 20th centuries are referred to as French hybrids because, especially in France, attempts were made to mitigate the problem of phylloxera-induced vine death by breeding phylloxera-resistant hybrid varieties for viticulture. Naturally, American species had to be used. Valuable assistance was provided by the US botanist Thomas Volney Munson (1843-1913) regarding rootstocks, as well as the breeder Hermann Jaeger (1844-1895), who immigrated from Switzerland to Missouri, regarding American hybrids that were then used for crossing with European varieties.
There are countless crossings of hybrids with Vitis vinifera or other hybrid varieties (secondary or multihybrids). Examples include Aurore, Baco Blanc, Baco Noir, Bellandais, Cascade, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonel, Chelois, Colobel, Couderc Noir, De Chaunac, Etoile I, Etoile II, Flot Rouge, Frontenac, Garonnet, Gloire de Seibel, Léon Millot, Lucie Kuhlmann, Maréchal Foch, Maréchal Joffre, Marquis, Neron, Oberlin Noir, Pinard, Plantet, President, Ravat Blanc, Ravat Noir, Rayon d’Or, Roi des Noirs, Rosette, Roucaneuf, Rougeon, Salvador Noire, Siegfriedrebe, Triomphe d’Alsace, Varousset, Verdelet, Vignoles, Vidal Blanc, Villard Noir, and Vivarais.
When the phylloxera was recognized as the cause of vineyard death, attempts were made from the 1880s onwards to breed phylloxera-resistant grape varieties with good wine quality through large-scale crossing programs. However, the more Vitis vinifera content these hybrid varieties had, the better the wine quality became, but all these hybrids with Vitis vinifera crossings showed no sufficient phylloxera resistance.
On the other hand, the phylloxera-resistant hybrid varieties with low or no Vitis vinifera content were often inedible (Foxton) and unsuitable for winemaking. Early breeding goals also included resistance to the true and false powdery mildew fungi, which were also introduced from America with the phylloxera, as well as resistance to frost and drought and other quality improvements.
In breeding the first and second hybrid generations, the French breeders François Baco (1865-1947), Albert Seibel (1844-1936), Eugéne Kuhlmann (1858-1932), Jean François Ravat (+1940), Bertille Seyve (1864-1939), Jean-Louis Vidal (1880-1976), and Victor Villard were actively involved with their professionally organized breeding operations. The French hybrids were used as partners for further hybridizations.
The US viticulture pioneer Philip Wagner (1904-1996) introduced many French hybrids to America on his vineyard in the state of Maryland from the 1940s onwards and was instrumental in their widespread distribution along the entire East Coast. The grape breeder Elmer Swenson (1913-2004) from Wisconsin also used French hybrids for his frost-resistant new breeds. Only relatively slowly did pure Vitis vinifera varieties establish themselves, a pioneer in this regard on his vineyard in the Finger Lakes was Dr. Konstantin Frank (1897-1985), who worked at Cornell University in the state of New York.
The fight against the phylloxera was not won through crossing breeding after countless attempts, but through grafting, that is, grafting European noble cuttings onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks. Since the phylloxera advanced slowly, did not rage equally everywhere, and some hybrid varieties at least produced drinkable wines, many winemakers initially ignored the early campaigns for grafting at the beginning of the 20th century.
Since the noble varieties of European Vitis vinifera could only survive as more expensive grafted vines, strict laws against hybrids were enacted in Germany and Austria-Hungary during this time. According to the knowledge of the time, the discussions were very emotional and conducted with absurd arguments from today's perspective. In the 1929 book "Die Direktträger" by Dr. Fritz Zweigelt (1888-1964), it states the following:
The specific toxic effects are hallucinations, fits of rage in men, hysteria in women, mental and physical degeneration in children. People with regular Noah wine consumption develop a pale, sallow complexion, tremble all over, and languish. Farmers with grafted vineyards are healthy, industrious, and have many children. In France, the direct carriers contribute to filling insane asylums.
This put pressure on winemakers to uproot their American vines. In many vineyards, these easy-care, high-yielding varieties survived because they were resistant to fungi and phylloxera. They were often used as table grapes, as well as for wine jelly, jam, and vinegar, but some wines were also pressed from them. Many winemakers therefore long refused to uproot their American vines, leading to a gradual ban being enforced.
Examples of this are the wines Americano (Switzerland) and Fragola (Italy), as well as the Uhudler from Burgenland (Austria), which was pressed from many varieties and is still produced (see there for the history). In 1929, such wines or blends with them were banned, and in 1936 a general planting ban was decided. Only the production of pomace wine for personal use was allowed. It was not until 1991 that decriminalization occurred. An EU regulation prohibited replanting and usage deadlines (which has since been lifted).
The image shows four American hybrids for the local specialty Uhudler from Austria. The three varieties Elvira, Delaware, and Concord are still used today; Isabella remains banned.
According to EU regulation, wines from varieties of interspecific crossings cannot be produced with a designation of origin. On the other hand, each member state can determine which varieties it wants to use for this purpose, subject to restrictions, or which it designates as quality wine grape varieties. Strictly speaking, all crossings with American or Asian vines would be excluded.
However, this brought some problems with new breeds, as the term PIWI (fungus-resistant) aims to achieve a high resistance against fungi such as Botrytis and both powdery mildew types, other pests, or environmental conditions such as frost. However, this requires Asian/American species, as many of the Vitis vinifera varieties generally do not possess sufficient resistance.
Due to the variety Regent, there was a dispute between Germany and the EU. It was about whether Regent should be considered a hybrid. It has a high content of the anthocyanin Malvidin-3,5-Diglucosid due to its Vitis labrusca genes, with 200 to 300 mg/l. This substance, referred to as "hybrid dye," does not impair health or taste but proves American genes and is limited to a maximum of 15 mg/l content in a quality wine on the recommendation of the INAO. The designation "hybrid-" or "direct carrier dye" is misleading because all Labrusca vines possess the dye (including grafted and pure varieties).
The ban on interspecific crossings for wines with a designation of origin (quality wines, country wines) has always been justified mainly by a lack of wine quality. To provide an objective basis for decision-making, a study was conducted in 2003 involving the INRA and Geisenheim. The questions were: 1) Are there quality differences between wines from Vitis Vinifera varieties and wines from interspecific varieties? 2) Is it possible to reduce the use of plant protection products in viticulture by using interspecific grape varieties? 3) What economic impacts would the use of interspecific grape varieties have?
For the study, 18 interspecific grape varieties or wines pressed from them were included. The varieties Baco Blanc, Baco Noir, Bianca, Chardonel, Couderc Noir, Medina (1), Seyval Blanc, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Villard Blanc, Villard Noir, and Zala Gyöngye were divided into three groups: "Old interspecific varieties," "Central European interspecific varieties," and "New mildew-resistant interspecific varieties developed outside the EU."
The four German new breeds Johanniter, Merzling, Regent, and Rondo also contain a small amount of foreign American and Asian genes, but were summarized as a fourth group as reference varieties with "Fungus tolerant Vitis vinifera varieties." This is justified by backcrossing the first results with the involved Vitis vinifera varieties. The variety Regent was mentioned as "not considered as interspecific" and regarded as belonging to the species Vitis vinifera, although it also possesses foreign genes.
Regarding wine quality, the study found that both poor and good quality can be achieved, provided that the interspecific grape varieties are cultivated according to their cultivation practices and planted on appropriate areas. Regarding the environmental impacts, very positive results were obtained. The use of pesticides would be significantly reduced with the use of interspecific varieties.
The authors of the study suggested that the current ban on the use of interspecific grape varieties should be maintained to provide an incentive for further research that would yield new and better interspecific varieties. This was viewed very differently by the EU states at the time.
