GrapeOnFarm

July 2018
The database on “Rare traditional varieties on-farm” is now online (here).

March 2018
The final Activity report is now available

• GrapeOnFarm Activity report (352,7 KB)

Summary of results:
The Activity was aimed at conservation and utilization of minor traditional varieties. The project was implemented during 2017.
To achieve the objective, an inquiry form with 52 questions was developed describing the wine grower, the preserved variety, cultivation aspects and commitments. At the end of the project year, eight countries were able to provide the data of 177 vineyards conserving traditional varieties. A large number of vineyards was recorded by the Spanish participant (97). This huge number was due to a national Spanish project including more than 70 experts in viticulture and oenology, financed by the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria and launched in 2012. Further vineyard data were gathered by Albania (16), Montenegro (14), Croatia (13), Germany (13), France (11), Portugal (5), Serbia (5) and Austria (3).
The on-farm descriptor data of the 177 vineyards will be included in the European Vitis Database.
National procedures for registration of minor cultivars turned out to be country-specific and highly diverse. As for cultivation and marketing of minor varieties in the EU, their prior registration is mandatory; it was suggested that governments should all adopt the rules of those countries where an easy registration is currently possible.

December 2017
There are urgent reasons to advance the process for legal inclusion of rare historical varieties in national variety catalogues, respectively to initiate modification of the EU Regulation in that regard as well.
A survey carried out by the ECPGR GrapeOnFarm group revealed a large heterogeneity and disparity between the countries’ legislations. To assist governments in finding a solution and involving the European Commission, the experts of the ECPGR GrapeOnFarm group made a proposition on the ideal preconditions in that matter.
The table below provides the countries national procedures and a green column suggesting how legislation may be adapted to achieve safeguard of rare historical varieties.

• National procedures for inclusion of a minor variety in the national variety catalogue

November 2017
Results and future plans:

Following the discussions during the workshop two tables were elaborated.
They describe:

• criteria to determine vulnerability of rare historical varieties
• national procedures for inclusion of a minor variety in the national variety catalogue

On-Farm Descriptor data will be made available to the public.

• On-farm descriptor data collected so far will be sent to the Coordinator of the Activity until 15 December 2017
• Publication of on-farm descriptor data in the European Vitis Database
• Continuation in encouraging wine growers to be part of the network

October 2017
The GrapeOnFarm partners met at the Institute for Grapevine Breeding (Geilweilerhof, Germany) on 10 October 2017. Reports focused on the main topics: announcement of the initiative to establish an inventory of growers of minor grape cultivars, feedback from growers, descriptors and national procedures for registering minor grape varieties.
The outcome is summarized below.
To reach wine growers a short and simple text was elaborated. It was then translated by the partners and adapted to the specific conditions of the participating wine growing countries. The text was disseminated via professional press media. In addition the GrapeOnFarm initiative was presented at diverse occasions, like meetings of wine growers associations, at conferences or grapevine symposiums. Each country found further possibilities to communicate the undertaking, e.g. via non-profit organizations and networks of grapevine collections.
Even though huge efforts were made, in most of the countries feedback from wine growers was close to zero. Best results were achieved in Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. The participants agreed that the direct contact with each wine grower might achieve the best results. Reasons for the lack of interest by wine growers were discussed, e.g. additional work, too many descriptors, no benefit for the wine grower to be listed on the European level, fear of control, because some of the varieties are not on the national list.
Some of the on-farm descriptors were slightly modified. The four categories were accepted: grower (12 descriptors), variety preserved (17 descriptors), vineyard description (17 descriptors) and commitments (6 descriptors). The final list is available below.
The question “which varieties can be considered as minor cultivars” was discussed. Criteria determining the degree of threat of minor cultivars will be assembled according to a table in the Green Book, Indigenous Grape Varieties of Croatia (Maletic et al. 2015, available here). The area planted with grapevine in each country will be considered.
National procedures for registration of minor cultivars were presented by each participating country. Similarities are given, like the use of DUS-criteria and the assessment of the agronomic and technical value of a variety in nearly all countries. However the possibilities allowing cultivation and marketing of minor varieties not included in the national lists and alternative legislation to easily register the rare and historical varieties are country-specific and highly diverse. Some countries follow a more liberal way. The participants of the workshop agreed that a prerequisite for a successful preservation of minor varieties on farm is to adapt the rules from countries where to date an easy registration is possible. In that context, Italy has the most advanced legislation.

• Agenda (96,6 KB)
• List of participants (81,1 KB)
• Presentations given at the workshop

• GrapeOnFarm descriptors (157,7 KB)
• Criteria to determine vulnerability of rare historical varieties (260,4 KB)