THERE’S a new-ish term in the vinous lexicon. PIWI, which seems to have more etymological kinship with hi-fi (high fidelity), than wi-fi (wireless … fi …), PIWI (pronounced pee-wee) is an abbreviation of the German PilzWiderstandsfähig, meaning fungus-resistant vines. PIWI grape varieties are argued to be the next frontier of increasing sustainability in the wine industry, and to adapting to climate change.
One of the great weaknesses of grapevines, as with many agricultural crops, is vulnerability to pests, diseases, and climatic hazards. For grapevines, key fungus diseases are downy mildew, powdery mildew, and grey rot/botrytis bunch rot. By breeding vines that are resistant to these ubiquitous
