Since arriving in the New World, vine growers have struggled to grow European wines in America. Despite the favorable environment, native North American diseases such as black rot, Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew would eventually destroy the vines. Other pests would also wrecked havoc on the vines, including aphids which eventually caused the the great wine blight in France.
Over the years, many solutions to this problem have presented themselves. Some have tried to prevent or cure the diseases with little success. Others have made due with the native grape varieties such as Concorde, but the taste of American grapes can be off-putting to some. After the great wine blight in France, the idea of grafting a European variety to the roots of an American vine proved to be a popular way to fight the native diseases and pests. But another solution that has found more popularity in America than Europe is the creation of hybrid grape varieties.
Botanically, a hybrid is a man-made plant that contains varying combination of elements of the 2 parent plants. It takes many attempts to craft a hybrid, but the ultimate goal is to create a plant which retains the best qualities from both parents. In grapes, the goal is usually to create a new variety which is resistant to disease.
The so called French hybrids are just one category of hybrid grapes. They are such named because they were created in France, largely with the intention of improving the quality of vines in a specific region. The list of French hybrids include Baco Noir, Seyval Blanc, and Vidal Blanc.
However, the French wine industry is very conservative in nature and has placed laws against the use of hybrid grapes. Despite their unpopularity in France and Europe, these grapes have found a place at home in North America and the Midwest, with Baco Noir, Seyval Blanc, and Vidal Blanc grown throughout the Midwest and beyond.
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