Overview: Cornell-led research indicates that wines crafted from disease-resistant hybrid grape varieties are embraced by consumers despite traditional skepticism regarding their appearance. A study published Sept. 23 in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture demonstrates that color is a weak predictor of actual enjoyment when compared to Pinot Noir benchmarks.
The Full Story
Winemakers and sommeliers historically viewed interspecific hybrid varieties with skepticism, fearing they lacked the visual quality of Vitis vinifera grapes. Researchers at Cornell AgriTech and Université Bourgogne Europe in Dijon investigated this bias among 82 regular red wine drinkers recruited through the Cornell Sensory Evaluation Center. The panel evaluated eight commercial red wines without knowing which was which, comparing hybrids from New York, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Iowa against Pinot Noirs from Burgundy, Oregon and the Finger Lakes.
Results indicated that while color mattered as a prelude, it lost predictive power upon tasting. Statistical analysis showed appearance liking explained only 8% of variation in actual enjoyment. Anna Katharine Mansfield noted prior assumptions that consumers would reject wines not looking like Vitis vinifera were unproven. Catherine Dadmun highlighted historic European restrictions on chemical color compounds found in hybrids, which led to low-quality assumptions that the study sought to clarify.
Production & Profile
Instrumental color analysis was conducted at Cornell AgriTech, while anthocyanin profiling using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography was performed in Dijon. Hybrid grapes contain different types of anthocyanins than vinifera varieties, including compounds called diglucosides that are less deeply colored and may be slightly more prone to browning over time. Wines with high proportions of diglucoside anthocyanins – like St. Croix, which ranked among the most visually appealing in the study – performed as well as or better than some traditional wines.
Brand & Industry History
As winemaking regions across North America and Europe grapple with more erratic weather, late frosts and increasing fungal disease pressure, hybrid cultivars offer a compelling alternative to the European grapes that have dominated fine wine for centuries. Varieties like marquette, Maréchal Foch and St. Croix can be grown with far fewer pesticide applications and survive winters that would devastate conventional vineyards. Commercial adoption has been slowed by persistent doubts about whether consumers will accept the resulting wines.
What This Means
The finding holds an implicit challenge to wine industry assumptions. Darker wines have long been associated with higher quality, a bias that has made some winemakers reluctant to promote hybrids. But the Cornell data showed no meaningful correlation between color intensity and actual liking. Lower visual scores for the three least-liked wines wasn’t lightness per se, but a tendency toward brownish, yellow-tinged hues rather than the deep red-purple that consumers associate with a young, well-made red.
Consumer Takeaway
Drinkers can evaluate wines based on taste and aroma rather than visual cues, as appearance liking explained only about 8% of variation in responses. The research suggests consumers should not reject hybrid varieties based on lighter hues or chemical differences like diglucosides. Instead, the focus remains on parameters that define a good wine, such as those found in St. Croix and Burgundy pinot noir which tied for highest overall appearance scores.
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