RARE GRAPE VARIETAL RESOURCE

Putting things in perspective

VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue - www.vivc.de) is said to list more than 10,000 grape varietals globally suitable for the production of wine, the large majority of which are grown on 500 or fewer hectares, respectively.

 “Native wine grapes hail from a particular place and region, and express a terroir unlike that of grapes cultivated anywhere else in the world. They are also specifically adapted to the environment in which they grow, representing the most ecologically friendly agriculture possible.” – Ian D’Agata, Club Oenologique.

As cited in Which Winegrape Varieties are Grown Where? (Kym Anderson – Univ. of Adelaide), perhaps fewer than 500 of the 10,000 varietals cited above are grown on 500 or more hectares globally, respectively.

Autoctovino’s inception and objective

Autoctovino's primary objective, since its inception in 2017, has been to consolidate information pertaining to the rarer (less than 500 hectares globally, individually) indigenous varietals in one platform, providing pertinent data and historical information while endeavoring to create a larger market presence for them. 

There is growing evidence that rare indigenous varietal wines are being sought by more wine enthusiasts, keen to find and to familiarize themselves with different options. Autoctovino’s platform aims not only to facilitate both wineries to find export markets and distributors to source product, but also to provide sommeliers and enthusiasts with information for both educational and personal objectives.

Though the community that this platform aspires to serve is potentially large, it lacks cohesion. As established as the large, more mainstream portion of the wine world is today, the rare indigenous varietal sector accounts for at least 10% of all global hectares devoted to wine production but, in all likelihood, in excess of 90% of varietal options.

As the Autoctovino® platform will be continually evolving, we invite like-minded parties, be they wineries, importers/distributors, sommeliers, wine writers, wine tour operators and social media influencers/facilitators to not only JOIN our growing community but to provide us with verifiable data to make this a comprehensive source for all to refer to.