France calls for stronger protection of vine variety names
On 25 September 2025, GEVES participated in a meeting organised by the CPVO on variety denominations, bringing together around forty participants from different Member States.
The meeting aimed to discuss several proposals for amendments to the rules on the eligibility of variety names, in particular on:
- the denomination of new vine varieties,
- the use of botanical or common names,
- the use of colours in denominations,
- commercial cooperation between companies for denominations, and
- refusals based on data from the EURISCO database.
France presented to the working group the two ways of obtaining new vine material (new variety or clone), via hybridisation within the Vitis genus or spontaneous or induced mutations. It recalled the heterozygosity of the Vitis genus and emphasised the impossibility of returning to the donor genome through successive backcrosses. A link has been made with the issue of the reuse of iconic variety names (=old vine varieties without Plant Variety Protection Certificates and cultivated worldwide) by breeders of new varieties created through hybridisation, given the importance of a vine variety’s name in wine marketing. In order to avoid misleading professionals and consumers, France has proposed banning the reuse of the name of a pre-existing variety in the case of a new variety obtained through hybridisation. France’s position on this issue has been understood and supported by various EU countries. A link was also made with the draft PRM regulation, which should also address this issue. The CPVO proposed the creation of a specific working group on this subject. France, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovenia and the Czech Republic expressed their interest in participating in this group.
