Italy’s Famous Wines Could Get New Grapes. Would You Taste the Difference?

Imagine ordering your favourite Italian wine and being told someone wants to swap some of the grapes inside it. Not because the grapes ran out, and not because the wine is bad. A different grape would simply make life easier for the people growing it. That’s the argument now raging over PIWI grapes in Italy, and it has pulled off the rarest feat in Italian politics: getting a League senator and a Democratic Party deputy to agree on something.

Before you hug your Barolo, calm down. No recipe has changed and no law has passed. But Italy is debating whether to open a door that has stayed locked for years, and behind it sits a question I can’t stop chewing on: can you change the grapes in a traditional wine without changing what makes it special?

Update, 21 October 2026: On 19 October the two lawmakers announced a parliamentary question to Agriculture Minister Lollobrigida, asking him to align national rules with the EU’s. The government hasn’t answered yet, and the law hasn’t changed.

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Quick Facts

• PIWI grapes are disease-resistant varieties, bred to resist fungal diseases such as downy and powdery mildew
• Italian law currently keeps them out of DOC and DOCG wines. IGT winemakers can use them under local rules
• Two lawmakers from opposing parties, Gian Marco Centinaio (League) and Antonella Forattini (Democratic Party), are pushing to change that
• On 19 October they announced a parliamentary question to the Agriculture Minister
• Parliament hasn’t approved anything. Even if the national rule changes, each denomination would decide for itself
• Champagne already allows a PIWI grape, Voltis, under a trial with strict caps

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Why Are PIWI Grapes in Italy Such a Big Deal?

The name comes from the German Pilzwiderstandsfähige Rebsorten, which means fungus-resistant grape varieties (try saying that after a glass). Breeders cross European Vitis vinifera grapes with other vine species that shrug off fungal disease, then pick the best offspring. A resistant vine can need fewer treatments, which means lower costs, fewer tractor trips and less use of certain crop-protection products.

And mildew is no joke. One wet, humid season can turn a lovely vintage into an expensive fight. But resistant doesn’t mean invincible. PIWI vines still need care, checking and good vineyard management. Nobody has bred a grape that looks after itself while the winemaker takes three months off.

Italy isn’t short of them either. The national register lists 36 PIWI varieties, 18 white and 18 red, and growers can plant at least some in ten regions. They just can’t use them in every kind of wine, and that’s where it gets silly.

The Rule That Lets a Resistant Grape Into an IGT but Not a DOC

Here’s the “oh really” bit. Under Article 33 of Italy’s wine law (Law 238/2016), resistant varieties can go into IGT wines but not into DOC or DOCG wines. Meanwhile, the EU changed its own rules in 2021, through Regulation 2021/2117, to let member states allow them in protected-designation wines. Italy kept its national ban anyway. So the grape is welcome on the everyday shelf and banned from the fancy one, like letting someone cook in the kitchen but never sit in the dining room. Here’s how it looks:

Where	PIWI grapes allowed?
EU rules since 2021	Yes, member states can open their protected wines to them
Italian IGT wines	Yes, under local rules and production standards
Italian DOC and DOCG wines	Not at the moment

Italy’s grape breeders say it’s the only EU country still blocking them. Take that with a pinch of salt, since they sell the vines, but wine press has repeated it.

The Odd Couple Pushing to Change It

At a conference in Voghera, in the Oltrepò Pavese, reported on 15 October 2026, two politicians announced a joint effort. Gian Marco Centinaio is a League senator, a vice president of the Senate and a former agriculture minister. Antonella Forattini is a Democratic Party deputy who leads her party’s group on the lower house’s agriculture committee. These two don’t agree on much, so watching them agree on grapes counts as a minor miracle.

They want to rewrite Italy’s consolidated wine law so winemakers can use PIWI grapes in DOC and DOCG wines, and nobody would force any denomination to use them. A Senate bill already exists, introduced by Senator Pietro Patton in May 2024 (Bill 1152), to amend Article 33. It names DOC and IGT but not DOCG, so the lawmakers want to go a step further.

Before you get excited, the Patton bill has sat stalled in the Senate for over two years, so “in the coming weeks” deserves a raised eyebrow. The lawmakers want to finish before the current legislature ends, which sounds ambitious. Their new parliamentary question takes it straight to the minister: align national rules with the EU’s, add PIWI varieties only after each consortium has evaluated them, and back research on sustainable innovation.

The Resistant Glera That Can’t Go Into Prosecco Yet

Prosecco shows why this matters. On 29 January 2026, the nursery Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo and the research body CREA presented seven new resistant varieties, described as developed from Glera, the Prosecco grape. Their director called it “the Glera of the future” and said it “must now be able to exist in the rules too.”

The breeders have Prosecco DOC, Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, Asolo and Colli Euganei in their sights, but regulators haven’t approved any of it. The breeders insist these vines are an evolution of Glera, not a replacement, meant to keep Prosecco tasting like Prosecco. That’s the only test your glass cares about. If you want the Glera backstory, I wrote a guide to Italy’s most joyful wine, and the grape has already survived one identity crisis.

One expert quoted by WineNews points out that many DOC rules already allow a share of complementary grapes, with quotas of 15% for Prosecco DOC and 10% for Pinot Grigio delle Venezie. Translation for non-lawyers: the recipe already has a small gap where an extra grape could slip in, so nobody has to tear it up. Gambero Rosso cites Pinot Grigio as the first DOC to add the novelty to its rules, pending the national change.

Not Everyone Is Cheering

I understand both sides. When I buy Barolo, I expect Nebbiolo. When someone orders Brunello, they expect Sangiovese. These aren’t random grapes that producers found lying around. They’re part of those wines’ history, character and legal definition.

The Barolo camp, unsurprisingly, isn’t thrilled. WineNews quoted Sergio Germano, speaking for the Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba Langhe and Dogliani consortium, as opposed to PIWI grapes, arguing that Nebbiolo’s identity rests on its single-grape character. A CREA researcher adds that some regions see the new varieties as alien to wine authenticity. That’s a fair worry. Imagine ordering a dish you’ve loved for years and finding the chef swapped a main ingredient. You might even prefer it, but you’d still want to know.

The other side has a point too. If a small share of a resistant grape helps growers fight disease without noticeably changing the wine, should we reject it only because it’s new? A parliamentary debate can’t answer that. It needs research, tasting trials and decisions from the people who know each region.

Champagne Already Did This

Italy wouldn’t be first, and when Champagne tries something, nobody can call it a fringe idea. Champagne approved Voltis, a resistant variety developed by France’s INRAE and Germany’s Julius Kühn Institute, at the end of 2022, with first plantings in 2023. The caps are tight:

Champagne’s Voltis trial	Limit
Share of a grower’s vineyard	Up to 5%
Share in any blend	Up to 10%
Trial length	10 years, then the region decides
First wines expected	Around 2027 or 2028

Notice what Champagne didn’t do. It hasn’t dumped Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Meunier. It’s testing how a resistant grape fits inside an identity it guards like a dragon. Italy could copy that cautious approach, but the details would depend on national law and on each denomination.

Would the Wine Taste Different?

Possibly, but not necessarily the way you imagine. A grape variety shapes a wine’s aromas, acidity, body and structure, so swapping one could change the result. How much depends on the variety, the share, the growing conditions and the winemaking. A small addition might give a subtle difference, and a bigger one a more obvious one. Nobody should guess without proper trials.

That’s why I wouldn’t call PIWI grapes the future of Italian wine or the end of tradition. A wine doesn’t become excellent because its vines resist mildew. It still has to taste good.

What Changes in Your Glass Today?

Nothing. Barolo is still Barolo and Chianti is still Chianti. Prosecco producers keep following their existing rules, and you shouldn’t assume a DOC or DOCG bottle on the shelf has changed. We’re watching an attempt to change the legal framework. If it works, the next questions are which regions want the opportunity, whether producers explain the change on their labels and whether drinkers notice. That’s when it gets fun for us.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are PIWI grapes? Varieties bred to resist certain fungal diseases, particularly downy and powdery mildew.

Are PIWI grapes genetically modified? No. They come from crossbreeding European Vitis vinifera with other vine species, then selecting the best offspring, which is different from genetic modification.

Are PIWI grapes allowed in Italian DOC and DOCG wines? Not at the moment. Italian law limits them to IGT wines, although EU rules have let member states allow them in protected-designation wines since 2021.

Has Italy passed the new PIWI law? No. Lawmakers are pushing for reform and Senate Bill 1152 is on the table, but nothing has become law.

Will Barolo, Chianti or Prosecco change their grapes? Nothing has changed. Each denomination would have to decide to allow PIWI varieties in its own production rules.

Do PIWI grapes need no vineyard treatments? No. They resist certain diseases and may need fewer treatments, but they still need proper vineyard management.

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So, Would I Drink It?

I’d want to taste it. Not because every new grape is better, and certainly not because tradition is something to bin whenever science offers a shortcut. I value the history behind Italian wine. But the people keeping those traditions alive also face very modern problems, and a vineyard isn’t a painting that can stay unchanged forever. It’s a working farm.

If resistant grapes can help growers manage disease while keeping the quality and character of their wines, the idea deserves a serious look. If they change a wine so much that it loses what made it special, that’s a different conversation.

So tell me: if your favourite Italian wine needed fewer vineyard treatments but a small change to its traditional grapes, would you try it? Or would you want the original grapes left alone?

— Kelly 🍷

#ItalianWine #PIWI #WineLaw #ItalianGrapes

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Continue Reading

• The Complete Guide to Prosecco: Italy’s Most Joyful Wine
• The Biggest Lie on a Prosecco Label (Extra Dry vs Brut)
• The Uncorked Consequences: How Global Warming is Transforming Europe’s Wine Industry

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Sources

• Vinetur: Italian lawmakers seek to open top wine labels to disease-resistant grapes
• Askanews: bipartisan PD-Lega question on PIWI (in Italian)
• Italian Senate: Bill S. 1152 on vines resistant to fungal diseases (in Italian)
• WineNews: resistant varieties and Italy’s consolidated wine law
• Gambero Rosso: Prosecco, Glera and resistant varieties (in Italian)
• Wein.plus: Breeders present resistant Glera varieties
• Wine Spectator: Champagne experiments with a new grape
• VinePair: PIWI grapes explained