White grape of interest for adaptation

Floréal

floh-ray-AHL
How to read this

Capitals mark the stressed syllable. The French r comes from the back of the throat. The recording is the reference.

Floréal is a mildew-resistant white grape bred at INRA Colmar in 2002, recorded by its breeder as a cross of Villaris and Mtp 3159-2-12, admitted in Bordeaux whites in 2023.

Floréal is a white grape bred to resist downy and powdery mildew. VIVC records that Christophe-Joseph Schneider crossed it in 2002 at INRA’s research unit in Colmar. The breeder recorded its parents as Villaris, a German disease-resistant white grape, and Mtp 3159-2-12, an INRA line bred with resistance from Vitis rotundifolia; VIVC gives no pedigree confirmed by DNA markers. INRAE’s variety sheet gives it Rpv1 and Rpv3 against downy mildew and Run1 and Ren3 against powdery mildew, and describes wines that are expressive, aromatic, and fresh. It entered the French official catalog in January 2018.

On February 7, 2023 the INAO national committee adopted a revision of the AOC Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur rules adding Floréal, Sauvignac, and Souvignier Gris to the white varieties of interest for adaptation, and the arrêté of August 16, 2023, published in the Journal officiel on August 25, put it into force. By the 2023 Bordeaux texts, Floréal may go into white Bordeaux, dry or sweeter, Bordeaux rosé, and white Bordeaux Supérieur, though not into Bordeaux Haut-Benauge. A grower needs a convention signed with INAO and the appellation’s growers’ body, and together the varieties of interest for adaptation may take up to 5% of the estate’s vines for each color and up to 10% of each lot for sale; in Bordeaux Supérieur both limits are strict, below 5% and below 10%.

The new white Médoc, homologated by the arrêté of July 31, 2025, published on August 5, names Floréal with Alvarinho, Liliorila, Sauvignac, and Souvignier Gris. A revision of the Pessac-Léognan rules adopted by the INAO committee on February 12, 2026 would admit it, with Sauvignac and Souvignier Gris, in the white wines there; it is not yet in force. A 2023 presentation by the Chambre d’agriculture de la Gironde counted about 21 hectares in the department.

Crossed in 2002: Christophe-Joseph Schneider, INRA Colmar (VIVC)

The family

Villaris proposed

Mtp 3159-2-12 proposed

Floréal

Cross: Schneider, Christophe-Joseph, UMR1131 Santé de la Vigne et Qualité du Vin INRA - UNISTRA, Equipe Génétique et Amélioration de la Vigne (code FRA038), 2002.

  • VIVC 25805, breeder record only

The discovery: In January 2018, Floréal entered the French official catalog, one of the first 4 varieties of INRA’s ResDur program.

The names

Other names in VIVC: Col-2007G, Colmar-2007G.

In today’s rules

Admitted for adaptation (white) in 3 of the appellations and designations on this site; admitted for adaptation (rosé) in 1.

Admitted for adaptation · white
Bordeaux (with the other adaptation varieties: up to 5% of the estate’s vines for that color and up to 10% of each lot for sale), Bordeaux Supérieur (with the other adaptation varieties: below 5% of the estate’s white vines and below 10% of each lot for sale), Médoc (with the other adaptation varieties: up to 5% of the estate’s vines for that color and up to 10% of each lot for sale)
Admitted for adaptation · rosé
Bordeaux (with the other adaptation varieties: up to 5% of the estate’s vines for that color and up to 10% of each lot for sale)

Area planted

  • 21 ha planted area, Gironde (department 33), data year not stated (2023 presentation)
    Chambre d'agriculture de la Gironde, PNDV Tour 2023, 'Évolution et pilotage de l'encépagement' (Charlier, Vecchiato), slide 28 'Variétés à l'étude (ODG Bordeaux, Bx Supérieur)', header 'Surfaces plantées (33)', https://gironde.chambre-agriculture.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Nouvelle-Aquitaine/100_Inst-Gironde/Documents/pdf_home_page_actualites/2023/PNDV_TOUR_2023_Evolution_et_pilotage_de_l_encepagement_CHARLIER_VECCHIATO.pdf, accessed 2026-10-12

Timeline

  1. 2018Registered in the French official catalog (January 2018); bred by INRAE from Villaris × Mtp 3159-2-12; carries Rpv1 + Rpv3 and Run1 + Ren3.
    INRAE, UMR Santé de la Vigne et Qualité du Vin (Colmar), 'Des variétés innovantes pour accompagner la transition agroécologique du vignoble', fiches variétales (undated), https://www.inrae.fr/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-Colmar-SVQV-Fiches-varietales-Fr_0.pdf, accessed 2026-10-12
  2. 2021Planted area recorded in the Gironde in 2021: about 2.7 ha.
    Syndicat des Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur (ODG), 'FAQ Nouveaux cépages' (undated), planted areas recorded in the Gironde in 2021, https://pro.planete-bordeaux.fr/wp-content/uploads/FAQ-Nouveaux-Cepages.pdf, accessed 2026-10-13
  3. 2023Added to the Bordeaux Supérieur white list by the INAO committee (February 7, 2023); about 21 ha planted in the Gironde, as reported in November 2023.
    INAO, 'Modification du cahier des charges de l'AOP Bordeaux supérieur adoptée par le Comité national ... en séance du 7 février 2023' (national opposition procedure draft), https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCBordeauxSuperieur-PNO2023.pdf, accessed 2026-10-12; Chambre d'agriculture de la Gironde, PNDV Tour 2023, 'Évolution et pilotage de l'encépagement' (Charlier, Vecchiato), slide 28 'Variétés à l'étude (ODG Bordeaux, Bx Supérieur)', header 'Surfaces plantées (33)', https://gironde.chambre-agriculture.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Nouvelle-Aquitaine/100_Inst-Gironde/Documents/pdf_home_page_actualites/2023/PNDV_TOUR_2023_Evolution_et_pilotage_de_l_encepagement_CHARLIER_VECCHIATO.pdf, accessed 2026-10-12
  4. 2026The rules homologated on May 13, 2026 (Bordeaux) and June 4, 2026 (Bordeaux Supérieur) list Floréal for white, dry or sweet, within the collective limits of each appellation (in Bordeaux up to 5% of the vines for the color and 10% of each lot for sale; in Bordeaux Supérieur each lot below 10%, and white vines below 5%); Bordeaux lists it for rosé too.
    Arrêté of May 13, 2026 homologating the cahier des charges of AOC 'Bordeaux' (BO Agri, May 21, 2026), sections V.1, V.2 and IX.1.b, https://fgvb.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CDC-Bordeaux-homologue-arrete-13-mai-2026-boma-21-mai-2026.pdf, accessed 2026-10-12; Arrêté of June 4, 2026 homologating the cahier des charges of AOC 'Bordeaux supérieur' (BO Agri, June 11, 2026), sections V.1, V.2 and IX.1.b, https://fgvb.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CDC-Bordeaux-superieur-homologue-arrete-4-juin-2026-boma-11-juin-2026.pdf, accessed 2026-10-12

In the lab

More than 35 studies and theses in the Bordeaux Reviews library mention this grape.

Sources

  • Röckel et al. (2026): Vitis International Variety Catalogue, www.vivc.de, passport id 25805, accessed October 2026
  • INRAE, UMR Santé de la Vigne et Qualité du Vin (Colmar), 'Des variétés innovantes pour accompagner la transition agroécologique du vignoble', fiches variétales (undated), https://www.inrae.fr/sites/default/files/pdf/2020-Colmar-SVQV-Fiches-varietales-Fr_0.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, modification of the cahier des charges AOC 'Bordeaux' adopted by the Comité national on February 7, 2023 (national opposition procedure), https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCBordeaux-PNO2023.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, modification of the cahier des charges AOC 'Bordeaux supérieur' adopted by the Comité national on February 7, 2023 (national opposition procedure), https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/CDCBordeauxSuperieur-PNO2023.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • Cahier des charges AOC 'Bordeaux', header 'Publié au BO-AGRI le 31 août 2023. Homologué par arrêté du 16 août 2023 publié au JORF du 25 août 2023', sections V.1, V.2 and IX.1, copy at https://winewitandwisdomswe.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Bordeaux-AOC-Cahier-des-Charges-August-2023.pdf (BO-Agri and Légifrance could not be read), accessed October 2026
  • Cahier des charges AOC 'Bordeaux supérieur', header 'Publié au BO-AGRI du 31 août 2023. Homologué par arrêté du 16 août 2023 publié au JORF du 25 août 2023', section V.1, copy at https://winewitandwisdomswe.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Bordeaux-Superieur-AOC-Cahier-des-Charges-August-2023.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, cahier des charges AOC 'Bordeaux supérieur' as modified by the Comité national on June 12, 2025, sections V.1, V.2 and IX.1, https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/3-CDC-Bordeaux-sup%C3%A9rieur-06-2025.pdf; homologated by arrêté of November 26, 2025, JORF November 29, 2025, as stated in Bordeaux Supérieur ODG, 'Comparaison CDC BxSup 2023-2025', https://pro.planete-bordeaux.fr/wp-content/uploads/Comparaison-CDC-BxSup-2023-2025.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, modification of the cahier des charges AOC 'Bordeaux' adopted by the Comité national on June 12, 2025, sections V.1, V.2 and IX.1, https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/2-CDC-Bordeaux-06-2025.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, directive INAO-DIR-CNAOV-2018-01 rev2 on varieties of interest for adaptation, dated June 3, 2021 (Comité national, sessions of June 2 and 3, 2021): 5% of the holding's plantings, 10% of the final blend for the color, 10 years extendable by up to 10, https://inao.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2024-09/DIR-VIFA-062021-Rev2-1.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, 'Le Médoc s'ouvre aux vins blancs': 'L'arrêté du 31 juillet 2025 homologuant le cahier des charges est paru au Journal Officiel le 5 août 2025', https://www.inao.gouv.fr/actualites-medoc-vins-blanc-aout-2025, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, modification of the cahier des charges AOP 'Médoc' (white wines) adopted by the Comité national on February 6, 2025, sections V.1.a, V.2.a and IX.1.a, https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/2-PNO-CDC-Medoc.pdf; European Commission, communication of an approved standard amendment, PDO-FR-A0730-AM06, C/2026/1140, Official Journal C of March 2, 2026, single document section 8, copy at https://winewitandwisdomswe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Cashier-des-Charges-Medoc-AOC-March-2926.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • INAO, draft modification of the cahier des charges AOP 'Pessac-Léognan' adopted by the Comité national on February 12, 2026 (national opposition procedure, not homologated), section V, https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/2-PRJ-CDC-Pessac-Leognan-2026.pdf, accessed October 2026
  • Chambre d'agriculture de la Gironde, PNDV Tour 2023, 'Évolution et pilotage de l'encépagement' (Charlier, Vecchiato), slide 28 'Variétés à l'étude (ODG Bordeaux, Bx Supérieur)', header 'Surfaces plantées (33)', https://gironde.chambre-agriculture.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Nouvelle-Aquitaine/100_Inst-Gironde/Documents/pdf_home_page_actualites/2023/PNDV_TOUR_2023_Evolution_et_pilotage_de_l_encepagement_CHARLIER_VECCHIATO.pdf, accessed October 2026 (no data year stated)
  • Bordeaux: Here Come the Hybrids!, winewitandwisdomswe.com, September 1, 2023, https://winewitandwisdomswe.com/2023/09/01/bordeaux-here-come-the-hybrids/ (Haut-Benauge exception), accessed October 2026
  • C. Schneider et al., 'INRA-ResDur: the French grapevine breeding programme for durable resistance to downy and powdery mildew', Acta Horticulturae 1248, 2019 (the oldest text in my library that names Floréal)
  • Röckel et al. (2026): Vitis International Variety Catalogue, www.vivc.de, accessed October 2026

Every grape

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