The French wine industry has gained a new ally in the fight against grapevine trunk diseases.
A recently launched digital tool now allows wine professionals to track the evolution of two major threats—esca and eutypiosis—across different wine regions and grape varieties. Updated with data from the 2024 vintage, the platform offers an unprecedented overview of how these diseases are affecting vineyards year after year.
From National Observatory to Digital Platform
The monitoring of grapevine trunk diseases in France began in 2003 with the establishment of the National Observatory for Grapevine Trunk Diseases by the French Food and Plant Protection Services. Although the official observatory ended in 2009, technical and scientific partners continued collecting annual data.
Thanks to the Climesca project, part of the National Vineyard Decline Plan (PNDV), researchers teamed up with the Plant Health Epidemiological Surveillance platform (ESV) to standardize and share this valuable information. Their goal: to make disease tracking accessible to the entire wine sector through a practical and user-friendly digital interface.
Disease Trends in 2024
In 2024, data was collected from 549 vineyard plots spread across Charentes, Bordeaux/Bergerac, Val de Loire, Champagne, Alsace/Lorraine, Jura, and Savoie.
- Esca: The national average incidence stood at 2.75%, down from 3.39% in 2023 and slightly below the long-term average of 3.12% since 2003. While this drop may appear encouraging, experts caution against premature optimism. According to Chloé Delmas, research director at INRAE, esca rates fluctuate widely depending on weather conditions. Wet years like 2017 and 2021 saw higher incidences, whereas drier years such as 2003, 2015, 2019, and 2022 recorded lower rates.
- Eutypiosis: Unlike esca, eutypiosis shows a clearer downward trend. In 2024, incidence dropped to a record low of 0.42%, compared to 0.79% in 2023. Researchers suggest that climate change may be making conditions less favorable for the fungus responsible for the disease, which thrives in humid years. Improved vineyard practices, including better pruning techniques and the removal of infected wood, are also believed to play a key role in this decline.
A Practical Tool for the Wine Industry
The new application allows users to view and download incidence data as detailed graphs by region and grape variety. For growers, researchers, and technical advisors, this offers a valuable decision-making tool: they can track patterns, evaluate risks, and adapt vineyard management strategies more effectively.
Beyond its practical use, the project underscores the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in tackling vineyard health challenges. By making two decades of research and monitoring openly accessible, the French wine industry is taking a major step forward in combining tradition with technology.
Source: Vinetur