FastGrapes is a plant breeding company that develops grapes for viticulture in Scandinavia.
The development takes place primarily in Denmark, but the results can just as well be used in
Norway, Sweden, Northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and similar Northern European countries.
FastGrapes is a plant breeding company that develops grapes for viticulture in Scandinavia.
The development takes place primarily in Denmark, but the results can just as well be used in
Norway, Sweden, Northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and similar Northern European countries.
The prerequisite for good wine
The most important factor in being able to make good wine is some grapes that ripen stably and with a minimum of diseases in the climate and in the location where the vineyard is located.
The classic climate zone for wine lies in the temperate climate between the northern latitudes 40°N to 50°N – and correspondingly in the southern hemisphere. Here, the classic grape varieties such as e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay mature, - and if they get enough rain during the growing period and sunshine during the ripening period, they can produce ripe grapes of a quality that can be made into great wine.
If the rain comes at the wrong times, problems with diseases such as mold and mildew easily arise, and then frequent spraying with fungicides is required, as the classic grape varieties have poor resistance to these diseases.
In Denmark (around 55°N) – with a far lower heat sum than in southern Europe – the classic wine grapes cannot ripen stably. There are, however, some newly developed grapes that do a little better, but the selection of really suitable grape varieties is very limited. The only really suitable one is the green Solaris grape. Therefore, there is a need for new grape varieties to be developed (primarily blue grapes, but also several green grapes) that are specifically targeted at the Scandinavian climate.
FastGrapes collaborates with The Julius Kühn Institute, Siebeldingen to develop a number of grape varieties adapted to the Scandinavian climate and with the best possible resistance genes against plant diseases, so that in future sustainable quality wine can be produced in our latitudes. It is a long-term project work that is currently approx. halfway through the course.
Vision / goal
The primary goal for FastGrapes is – to develop 2-3 new blue grape varieties before 2030, so that high-quality red wine can also be grown and produced in Denmark.
The secondary goal is – at the same time – to develop a few green grape varieties that can complement Solaris for white wine (with other aroma profiles).