Other crosses


SICAREX is also working with other crosses, including Picarlat, a 1970s Gamay and Cabernet Sauvignon cross aiming for firm tannins and Gamay fruitiness; Beaugaray, a hybrid between Pinot Noir and Heroldrebe, focused on enhanced aromatics; Divico, a loose- bunched, tough-skinned, black-fruited, Swiss cross of Gamaret and Bronner, bred for resistance to late frosts, powdery


and downy mildew, and rot; and Granita, a highly resistant, red-fruited, smooth- textured, high-acid 1980s SICAREX cross between Auxerrois and Blauer Portugieser. Future-proofing varieties that may


help defeat hotter conditions include nearly extinct Noir Fleurien, a vigorous, frost-resistant, low-alcohol variety that likes dry, limestone-rich soils; Epinou, known for its complex aromas and long, late ripening period; and Dousset, from Savoie and also more recently used in Champagne, previously employed as a blender offering enhanced aromas, freshness, and finesse.


The deeper future of these grape varieties may see them gradually blend their way into AOC prominence down the road. The new 5% regulation encourages new plantings, while the 10% blending rule allows them to be gradually absorbed into Gamay bottlings. Alongside this, the Comtés Rhodaniens IGP is flexible enough to allow new 100% varietal bottlings or non-Beaujolais varieties like Syrah and grapes from farther afield. And beyond these material possibilities are inevitable changes to vine growing (yet to be applied to the above-mentioned grape varieties).


Climate change, progress, and reversing into the future As we are coming to learn that climate change isn’t a simple matter of hotter, drier weather steadily working its way up from the equator to the poles. More and more often it plays out through increasingly complicated chaotic weather conditions that redefine local climates. Northern Europe’s previously cooler


climates, like that in Beaujolais, have seen relative climatic stability supplanted by erratic, sometimes contradictory weather patterns that challenge previous expectations. Sporadic heatwaves and droughts can alternate with unexpectedly intense rain, frost, and/or hail, sometimes all within a single, miserable growing season—or even within a few hours. One especially vexing new problem


is that warmer winters have led into ever-earlier spring bud-break, this suddenly hammered by late spring frosts or hail. Equally worrying have been unprecedented periods of drought, creating heat stress that retards or stops ripening dead in its tracks, sometimes followed with sudden intense rain, and additional hot weather with resultant humidity encouraging mildew and botrytis. Compounding these dangers, new intrusive pests and diseases migrate


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 27


Photography (bottom from left) courtesy of Bertrand Chatelet; by Etienne Ramousse for Inter Beaujolais; by Thierry Gaudillère; (top) by David Duvernay for Info Agricole du Rhône.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220