Oh Joy, Another Virus: An Introduction To Grapevine Red Blotch Disease

A closer look at GRBD’s effects and possible remedies for one of the more recent threats to viticulture and the wine in your glass.

Despite its thousands of years of history, the challenges associated with cultivating high-quality grapes for wine production are constantly evolving. It is an industry familiar with the arrival of mysterious diseases, with winemakers across the world learning and adapting to cope with threats such as phylloxera and powdery mildew. These diseases, when they first swept through Europe’s vineyards, caused catastrophic economic damage, and modern vineyard practices still reflect the remedies discovered in their aftermath. Nature, however, is ever-changing, and as with any heavily cultivated crop, grapevines are a prime target for new disease variants.

You may have started reading this in anticipation of something uplifting—something much needed in the current climate (read into that what you will). On editing this article, however, I must admit that it is not particularly uplifting. Nevertheless, I believe it contains important knowledge for anyone interested in the challenges faced by m…