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Indigenous North American grapevines, not the standard European varieties, may be California wine s answer to climate change
A handful of California winemakers are convinced that long-maligned hybrid grape varieties are the future
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Matthew Niess believes the future of California wine lies with native California grapes.
This might sound self-evident, but for the $40 billion wine industry, Niess’ idea is a serious provocation. Grapes native to California, or to any part of North America, are unheard of here. Virtually all of our vineyards are planted with European imports, specifically the grapevine species Vitis vinifera. Name a wine grape Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, even something obscure like Trousseau Gris and it’s certain to be a member of the vinifera species, European by parentage.