PIWI Canada

PIWI Canada

PIWI Grapes Sustainable Viticulture

The concept of PIWI grapevines has been around for over a century—PIWI being an abbreviation for the unwieldy German word “pilzwiederstandsfähig,” meaning robust fungal resistance. Older generations of these vines were called hybrids, but after 5 to 6 generations of refinement, the modern PIWI grapevines are upwards of 90%+ Vitis vinifera and encapsulate the benefits of fungal resistance while producing vinifera-style wines. The combination of taste and fungal resistance creates appealing and sustainably produced wines.

PIWI is established as a brand in Europe and represents new, innovative, robust and attractive wines with all the benefits of traditional grapes while embracing a modern approach to dealing with fungal diseases. These robust and innovative grape varieties are an obvious addition to conventional grape varieties that require intensive plant protection.

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Whether you want to enter an exciting new market producing single-variety PIWI wines or blending PIWI grapes into traditional wines, PIWI grapevines should have a place in your vineyard.

Benefits of Fungus Resistant Vines

Significant amounts of plant protection products (fungicides) are applied in viticulture to prevent possible fungal infestation and to secure the harvest. According to analyzes by the statistical office of the EU (EuroStat), the use of pesticides per hectare and year in viticulture is by far the highest compared to all other agricultural products produced in the EU. The Globe & Mail (Sept. 23, 2015) reported, “France's wine industry accounts for just 3.7 percent of the country's agricultural land yet uses 20 percent of the country's pesticide volume.” That is a problem.

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Environmental Benefits of PIWI Grapevines PIWI grape varieties have a high resistance to fungal diseases and enable a significant reduction in the use of pesticides. Less fungicide spray means less tractor work and both reduce the negative impacts of farming, which leads to a healthier vineyard and a better planet.

Additional Benefits

Beyond the environmental benefits, there are cost-saving reasons to embrace PIWI varieties as well as a growing consumer demand for low-impact wines, whether that is organic or natural wines or just a product with an eye towards sustainability. PIWI vines are key to helping you achieve these.

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Cost Savings Less fuel, labour and materials. With vines that require only one or two sprays of fungicide per year, that field input reduction means greater efficiency for the vineyard and fewer expenses with the benefit of a healthier environment.

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