  GM Grapevines:  So what is all the fuss about?  ( Thanks to WineBusiness Online,  as major portions were swipped from Genetically Modified Vines and Yeasts Pit Science Against Emotion By Paul Franson in the December 1,  2003 Edition)
 All editorializing is mine,  facts are his!  Genetic engineering has solved some of the most pervasive problems of our time,  creating new drugs,  chemicals,  plastics and even aiding in "
growing"  living skin tissue for transplant patients.  The wine industry though,  may never get the chance to see these advances come to their domaine.  Passionate opponents to the technique are using emotional appeals to tie the hands of wine researchers and producers.  Manipulating the genetic structure of grape vines might allow them to resist mildew and other fungi,
 fight Pierce's disease and better withstand cold,  while improved yeasts could help produce more flavorful wine with lower alcohol levels.  But opponents concerned by potential hazards of the process have already prompted some in the industry to end trials of modified vines and call for total bans– even on research.  Greenpeace,  the nutjob flatearth society group (
no apologies)  conducted and publicized consumer and retailer research to discourage vendors from producing genetically modified ( GM)  wine,  for example.  They don't even want any research to occur.
 Other opponents have adopted the catchy pejorative " Frankenwine"  to frighten consumers.  The wimps at Moë t &  Chandon ended work on genetically engineered vines in 1999 due to concerns by both consumers and other winemakers,
 destroying the altered vines.  Unbelievably too,  as M& C could reap vast benefits as they have seen their share of financial losses due to fungus and pests.  In 2002,  a large group of well known Burgundian growers and producers for the second time denounced Genetic Modification of plants and micro-
organisms in wine.  Their report noted with regret that the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine ( INAO)  decision to forbid genetically- modified grape varieties and rootstocks for AOC vines and wines has been adopted without regard to the use of GMO micro- organisms (
with yeast a concern in particular)  The bottom line for the Burgundians,  is,  of course,  terroir.  In California's Mendocino County,
 environmentalists were successful in passing an initiative that prohibits the propagation,  cultivation,  raising and growing of genetically modified organisms.  Among those supporting the ban are a number of local wineries,  including big Fetzer Vineyards,  plus small producers in that environmentally conscious region.
 With all the opposition,  planting GM vines may be a moot point.  The important European market has largely banned genetically modified food products and many European and other consumers won't buy GM foods.  As a result,  many in the industry,  whatever their views,
 are being very careful to reassure nervous consumers.  The important Australian wine industry has issued a statement that no genetically modified vines are used to produce Australian wines,  and promised not to use genetically modified vines unless they're proven safe and beneficial.  In fact,  it appears that no genetically modified vines are used to produce any wine commercially at present.  The political and emotional opposition has left scientists frustrated.
 " The people most concerned don't have strong backgrounds in biology,  noted famed grape geneticist Carole Meredith,  who recently retired from the University of California at Davis.  " They simply don't understand the issues.
 A Host of Potential Benefits The Potential of Wine Biotechnology Professor I. S.  Pretorius of the Institute for Wine Biotechnology in Stellenbosch University,  South Africa is one of the leading voices in the world for genetic modification.  He is also one of the most respected speakers on the topic.  Pretorius spoke at the 5th international symposium of the Institute of Masters of Wine 11th -
 13th July 2002.  His comments sparked lively,  thoughtful discussion.  No emotional rancor was generated;  Pretorius is an intellect whose scientific work raises interesting,  perhaps unanswerable questions.
 Below,  I have reprinted ( with permission)  the introduction to this thesis presented at the International Masters of Wine meeting in 2002.  " The shift of consumer preferences away from basic commodity wine to top quality wine,
 and the gruelling competition brought about by economic globalization call for a total revolution in the ‘ magical' world of wine.  In the process of transforming the wine industry from a production- driven industry to a market- orientated enterprise,  there is increasing dependence on,
 amongst others,  biotechnological innovation to launch the wine industry with a quantum leap across the formidable market challenges of the 21st century.  Market- orientated designer grape cultivars and wine yeast strains currently are being genetically programmed with surgical precision for the cost- competitive production of high quality grapes and wine with relatively minimal resource inputs and a low environmental impact.  With regard to Grapevine Biotechnology,
 this entails the establishment of stress tolerant and disease resistant varieties of Vitis vinifera with increased productivity,  efficiency,  sustainability and environmental friendliness,  specially regarding improved pest and disease control,  water use efficiency and grape quality.  With regard to Wine Yeast Biotechnology,
 the emphasis is on the development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with improved fermentation,  processing and biopreservation abilities,  and capacities for an increase in the wholesomeness and sensory quality of wine.  The successful commercialization of transgenic grape cultivars and wine yeasts depends on a number of scientific,  technical,  safety,
 ethical,  lg Fal,  economic and marketing factors,  and it therefore will be unwise to entertain high expectations in the short term.  However,  in the light of the phenomenal potential advantages of tailor-
made grape varieties and yeast strains,  it would be equally self- destructive in the long term if this strategically important ‘ life insurance policy' is not taken out by the wine industry.  This overview highlights the most important examples of the way in which Vitis vinifera grape varieties and Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast strains currently are being designed with surgical precision on the basis of market demand for the cost- effective,
 sustainable and environmentally friendly production of healthy,  top quality grapes and wine.  wbm Though wine scientists have discussed and are conducting trials aimed at producing better wines,  Meredith downplays efforts to manipulate flavor.  " It's interesting to consider,
 and people like to talk about it,  she admited,  but says the most pressing impetus for modifying vines is disease resistance.  A few years ago,  when Pierce's disease seemed an imminent threat to California's wine business,  there was much discussion about developing vines that would resist it.
 In 2001 a Florida scientist claims he did just that.  Dennis Gray,  a professor of developmental biology at the University of Florida's Mid- Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka,  patented a method to insert genes in grapevines expected to make the plants resistant to Pierce's disease.  In the process,
 he implanted a gene from silkworms into grapevines.  " We believe these genes could protect grape plants against a number of diseases,  but our target is Pierce's disease,  he said in a news release.  "
We had promising results early on in the project,  and we're optimistic tests will confirm heightened resistance in the plants.  His hope is to develop vinifera vines that could produce wines in Florida,  but Pierce's disease is a much bigger issue in California.  For now,  it seems under control,
 and Gray admits things haven't progressed very far since his announcement.  " We continue to make progress but the ‘ bulletproof' grape plant we need for field testing is not yet in hand.  He adds,  "
We've had a drop in funding and some other obstacles to moving as fast as we could.  Our research proposal to the Pierce's Disease Task Force,  which is administered in California,  was completely ignored last year,  despite our research and demonstrated progress being at least seven years ahead of that in subsequently funded California programs.  Gray says that his major corporate partner,
 US Tobacco subsidiary Profigen,  dropped its grape biotech program in 2001,  firing most if not all of its grape- related in- house scientists,  but continues to hold the licenses and have been unsuccessful in subsequent sub-
licensing.  This has been a serious obstacle to research progress because it has effectively blocked efforts to commercialize the technology through new corporate sponsors.  Mildew is the Big Target Meredith,  however,  believes that the biggest potential of genetic engineering is to fight fungal disease.  John Duarte of Duarte Vineyards agrees.
 " Mildew- resistance is the quality most in demand.  " In Europe and New York,  for example,
 they have to spray extensively to fight downy mildew,  which isn't a big problem in California.  She says the strong Green movement in Germany makes growers especially sensitive to the spraying- but the Greens oppose genetic engineering,  too.  In California,
 the biggest problem is powdery mildew which can be treated with relatively benign elemental sulfur,  and grapes sprayed with sulfur are still considered organic.  Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Viticulture ( CRCV)  is conducting research into powdery mildew,  for example.
 Its scientists have identified a grapevine resistance gene and are working to isolate it.  Once this is achieved,  the gene could be inserted into vines to increase resistance to the mildew,  saving growers the cost of spraying while also reducing the use of pesticides and the resulting residues.  Meredith also believes genetic engineering has great potential in treating fungal diseases inside vines,  such as Eutypa,
 and some viral diseases.  She noted,  however,  that the most interesting potential is fighting those diseases themselves,  not insect carriers like sharpshooters.  "
They infect the plant when they bore a hole to feed.  It's too late to kill them after that.  Other insects,  of course,  infest and damage the vines.  The vine mealybug is a big and growing problem in California.
 Duarte noted that controlling it takes persistent and undesirable orthophosphate pesticide.  " The vine mealy bug needed to be addressed in any way possible,  he warned.  He believes genetic engineering could be a solution,  but it would take a lot of time and money,
 and it's a small market with many different vines to deal with.  " These niche crops need public- private partnerships.  Meredith says that UC Davis,  like other universities,
 is conducting research.  She noted an interesting potential strategy for grapevines grown on rootstocks:  develop rootstocks that could impart resistance to diseases without changing the scion.  " Perhaps the rootstock could make something that interferes with harmful bacteria and send it up the vine's xylem.  The wine grape vine wouldn't be genetically engineered.
 I can't see how that would be objectionable.  Improving Grape Characteristics Though Meredith feels genetic engineering has the biggest potential in fighting diseases where,  currently,  either no treatment exists or where existing treatments are undesirable,  there is also research conducted in improving the qualities of grapes.  In Australia,
 trials are underway at the Merbein Research Station in Victoria with up to 490 genetically modified vines to improve berry color and other characteristics.  Among the 11 types of vines,  four exhibit less fruit browning,  three have altered pigmentation,  one has altered fruit sugar composition and one has altered flower and fruit development.  Two others contain fluorescent marker genes for monitoring pollen flow.
 The vines are very carefully isolated,  however,  including netting to prevent birds or animals from spreading seeds,  and the vine's clusters are bagged to prevent release into the wild.  The American Vineyard Foundation funds much research on vines in the US,  and its director Patrick Gleeson says the organization is very supportive of better understanding the function of genes,
 and biotechnology is very helpful in doing so.  " It's a powerful research tool,  but must be used with caution.  He said the AVF is supporting biotech for research,  but not product development.
 " We've got a good way to go before we fully understand the gene function,  he noted.  The AVF sends a questionnaire to growers every few years,  and asks whether they are supportive of using biotechnology to understand the gene function,  and he said early reports from the latest survey showed 57 supporting,
 46 opposed.  He also asked wineries if they would be interested in using biotechnology for winemaking,  and 38 said yes,  65 no.  Interestingly,  in the field,
 there was more support:  138 favored biotech,  46 didn't.  He said,  however,  "
The comments were all over the place.  Gleeson admits,  however,  that both Australia and Germany are ahead of the US in use of genetic engineering.  Some GM Trials Greenpeace published a long paper on GM wine- grape vines that opposes their use,
 but does catalog many of the trials now taking place:  •  Research on GM vines at Cornell University in New York includes work with Chardonnay,  Merlot and other varieties modified to be resistant to powdery mildew and Botrytis cinerea.  •  In Southern Ontario,
 Canada a wine producer in collaboration with researchers at the University of Guelph has developed vines with greater resistance to the cold ( between 3- 5 degrees Celsius)  These vines were planted out in field trials in 1997.  •  In Europe,
 field trials of GM grapes have taken place in Germany,  France and Italy,  but no GM vine or wine has yet received approval for marketing.  •  A number of GM grapevine trials are being carried out in France by the government research organization INRA ( National Institute for Agronomic Research)
 on a number of grape varieties which have been genetically modified to be resistant to grapevine fanleaf virus.  Trials of GM vines began at two locations in Germany:  Rheinland- Pfalz and Bavaria in 1999,  and are due to continue for 10 years.  The grape varieties in the trials are Riesling,
 Seyval Blanc and Dornfelder.  The vines have been modified to be resistant to mildews caused by Plasmopara viticola and Unicicula necator.  The vines also contain an antibiotic resistance gene.  According to a Swiss publication,  a wine has been produced by Regent,  a German producer,
 using genetically modified grapes that contained a gene from barley that helps them resist attack by molds.  This wine cannot be marketed without EU approval.  In Italy,  research is being carried out on GM grapevines at the University of Ancona under a consent issued in 1999 ( www. greenpeaceusa.
org/ media/ publications/ grapewinereport. pdf)  Trials are also taking place in Alsace and South Africa.
 In addition,  researchers at Dry Creek Laboratories in Stanislaus County inserted a gene from the snowdrop into grapevine rootstocks to protect against sap- sucking insects and nematodes.  The Lab is partly owned by John Duarte of Duarte Nursery,  but he says the laboratory is not working on transgenic grape vines,  but is focusing its efforts on apples.
 As an owner of one of the largest nurseries in the industry,  however,  Duarte follows the subject carefully.  He says that there are no transgenic nursery vines available in the US.  But he said there's a demand for a solution to problems that transgenic vines could address.  "
The public wants greater sustainability and transgenic vines can reduce pesticides.  Confusion Among Consumers One issue,  as Meredith noted,  is lack of understanding about genetic engineering.  " Scientists have been using genetic modification for a hundred years without recombinant DNA,
 she pointed out.  The biggest concern among many opponents is to putting parts of animals into plants.  " They've heard these horror stories,  and say,  ‘
I don't want to eat a tomato containing fish genes! '"  Technically,  ‘ transgenic' simply means adding something to the gene from any source,  including a related plant such as wild grapes,
 a micro- organism or a synthetic splice.  She says,  however,  that a lot of genetic engineering involves other plant genes.  In conventional breeding,
 for example,  if you combined Syrah with Pinot Noir,  you get a completely different plant.  With genetic engineering,  you get the same plant,  but with some characteristics modified.
 " Put genetic material from a daffodil into rice,  and the plant doesn't resemble a daffodil.  It's still rice.  She added,  "
There are dangerous genes- but you can develop them with conventional breeding,  too.  In fact,  she acknowledges that genetic engineering can be misused,  and she calls for it to be used carefully only by well-
trained people who are carefully supervised.  " It's just a tool,  and like any tool,  it can be misused.  From Vineyard to Cellar:
 GM Yeast Of course,  other products beside vines are used in wine production,  and improved yeasts are even more likely to be available to winemakers since they are better understood and easier to modify than vines.  One interesting product that is now commercially available is malolactic yeast that performs both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations simultaneously,  minimizing growth of lactic acid bacteria capable of producing allergens such as histamines.  It was developed by Hennie van Vuuren,
 Chair Food Biotechnology and director of the British Columbia Wine Research Centre.  According to van Vuuren claims consumers sensitive to bio- amines are unlikely to get headaches when drinking wines produced with the ML01 yeast.  He says the yeast has received the status Generally Regarded as Safe ( GRAS)  from the FDA.
 The malolactic yeast also prevents sluggish and stuck malolactic fermentations with subsequent spoilage of wines.  Moreover,  van Vuuren says the color of red wines produced with the malolactic yeast is much more intense compared to wines produced with bacterial malolactic fermentation.  This is particularly useful for the production of Pinot Noir wines.  As noted by van Vuuren and colleagues other yeasts that have been created experimentally with interesting properties:  •
 Resistance to toxins that kill yeasts •  Can convert sugar to lactic acid •  Breaks down grape particles in must for greater color and juice and better precipitation of particulate matter •  Enhancing glycerol production for greater extract and mouth feel •  Cleaves glycosidic link of bouquet precursors for greater floral aromas Linda Bisson,  a professor at UC Davis,
 regards a special goal in warm climates creating yeast that converts sugar to alcohol less efficiently,  likely by producing other beneficial compounds.  David Mills is an assistant professor of viticulture and enology at UC Davis,  and he has been using genetic methods to study the malolactic process.  He emphasizes,  however,
 that he's not trying to make a better ML bacteria with genetic engineering.  " The process is little known,  and we want to learn more about it.  The Institute for Wine Biotechnology of the Stellenbosch Univer sity in South Africa has also produced a number of genetically modified yeasts.
 Opposition The opposition to genetically modified vines comes from the same sources as opposition to other genetically modified food plants.  Interestingly,  they're objectively stated in a report allowing GM vines to be tested in Australia:  " The main potential hazards to human health and safety and the environment which were considered related to whether;  the GM grapevines might be harmful to humans because they may be more toxic or allergenic than non-
GM grapevines as a result of the novel gene products or because of unforseen or unintended effects;  the GM grapevines might be harmful to other organisms if they were to be more toxic or allergenic than non- GM grapevines as a result of the novel gene products or because of unforseen or unintended effects;  the GM grapevines might be harmful to the environment because of inherent weediness or increased potential for weediness;  and the genes introduced into the grapevines might transfer to non- GM grapevine crops,
 to related species,  or to other organisms,  with adverse consequences for the environment.  Office of Gene Technology Regulator,  Executive Summary,  "
Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan for Application No.  DIR 031/ 2002,  Limited and controlled release of GM grapevines,  ( www.
ogtr. gov. au)  After evaluation,  however,  the license was granted to plant the vines,
 though with strict safeguards.  These moves in Australia and elsewhere are being closely scrutinized in Burgundy.  Consequently,  several of the independent growers and negociants have formed Terre et Vin de Bourgogne.  According to the group's mission statement,  Terre et Vin de Bourgogne,
 " has been set up in order to help the diffusion of information,  to watch and take a stand concerning viticulture and Burgundy wine making,  faced with new technology,  GMOs and [ other questions]
 The organization has called for a ten- year moratorium on " any GMO vine and wine marketing and total transparancy concerning research and approval procedures.  On a broader scale,  serious questions remain in the minds of many people about genetic modification of living organisms and the possible consequences.  Even minor processes involving inserting parts from one grapevine into another get tied up with ethical questions about cloning humans.
 Perhaps time will resolved many of the questions.  A Clouded Future In spite of the controversy,  Meredith believes genetically engineered vines will be used after thorough testing.  " The people who are concerned will gradually become more comfortable with the technology and the issue will go away,  she predicted.
 She admited that we aren't likely to see genetically engineered vines in traditional expensive wines.  " Wine is a lot more than a beverage.  The history and tradition is a part of it.  People who cherish this tradition won't want engineered wines.  She believes the first commercial uses will be in lower-
priced,  high- volume wines where the economic benefits are most apparent.  " The people who produce these wines are less interested in tradition than productivity,  she said.
 This means that the highest potential is in highly productive wine regions like California's Central Valley,  the south of France,  Chile and South America,  places where large volumes of generally good wines are produced at low cost.  She feels that consumer attitudes will be an important factor in the US,  but believes that there will be no market for genetically modified wines in Europe where sentiment is so strong.
 Some European activists,  in fact,  are calling for a ban on food products from any country that allows modified plants or animals out of fear of accidental contamination,  which has occurred with plants like canola and corn.  Some US producers suspect these actions are also hidden ways to limit imports from competitive New World countries.  Others in the wine business disagree and don't want genetic engineering to be used.
 Paul Dolan,  until recently president of Fetzer Vineyards,  is outspoken in his personal opposition to using genetically engineered vines.  " I hope the world doesn't run down this path.  There are so many other environmental issues we have to deal with that taking this approach to lowering costs and improving productivity doesn't make sense.
 He believes strongly in trying to create wines that better express their terroir and this flies in the face of that goal.  At any rate,  wine made from modified vines is many years away from commercial production.  It's estimated that it will require at least 10 years of trials before any can be sold.
