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# Large-Scale Fla. Wine Industry Possible After Research Breakthrough
- URL: https://bevnews.net/untitled-130/
- Published: 2026-01-09T01:50:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-09T11:04:15.000Z
- Author: Joel Whitaker
- Tags: Research

Researchers have grown and harvested wine grapes that are resistant to the main bacterial disease that has long prevented Florida from establishing a large-scale wine industry. 

Researchers successfully grew five grape varieties in Citra, Florida, that are[ resistant to Pierce’s disease](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/hosdept/2025/09/10/vinifera-grapes-florida-wine/?ref=bevnews.net), a bacterial infection that kills the vines and shrivels the grapes. The effort, led by[ Ali Sarkhosh](https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/people/on-campus-faculty/ali-sarkhosh/?ref=bevnews.net), associate professor in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticultural sciences department, produced a harvest of grapes that resulted in 13 cases of wine. 

While Florida has a thriving muscadine grape industry, the global market for muscadine wine is small compared to wine made from Vitis vinifera, the species of grapes behind world-famous wines such as cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc and merlot. Florida is already the nation’s second-highest wine-consuming state, behind only California, with an industry valued at $15 billion in 2022\. Yet most of the wines served are produced elsewhere, primarily in California, Oregon and Washington.

Sarkhosh said he hopes this research will offer a potential additional crop for muscadine grape farmers. As of 2017, there were[ 547 Florida vineyards](https://hos.ifas.ufl.edu/grape/?ref=bevnews.net#:~:text=Welcome,tripling%20from%202007%20to%202017.), growing muscadine and hybrid grapes. 

“This could be an enormous opportunity for vineyards in Florida to expand into additional types of wine for a wider market,” he said. “This could be the start of a new chapter for Florida wine.” 

UF researchers worked with [Château Le Coeur](https://chateaulecoeur.com/?ref=bevnews.net), a winery based in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to make the wine from their harvest. The wine was crafted with 75% Florida-grown fruit and blended with 25% cabernet sauvignon and merlot. 

The grape used in the wine collaboration is a hybrid called “Erante Noir” and was[ developed at the University of California, Davis](https://ucanr.edu/blog/food-blog/article/uc-davis-releases-5-grape-varieties-resistant-pierces-disease?ref=bevnews.net). It carries the genes of sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon. 

**John Choquer**, the owner of **Château Le Coeur**, emphasized the potential for this collaboration. 

“If we are successful in growing in the area and combating Pierce’s disease effectively, it will be a strong growth industry and emerging market for agri-tourism,” he said. 

Early tastings point to a dark, fruit-forward wine. Château Le Coeur named this debut wine “Genial,” a French expression for something new and innovative. 

He said he is also planting a variety of traditional wine grapes, red and white, at his vineyard. He said his winery is grateful for UF’s support and collaboration as he works to create a Florida-based traditional wine industry. “This is not a short-term experiment,” Choquer added. “We plan to test more Pierce’s disease-resistant and traditional vinifera varieties, refine vineyard practices and build a new type of wine industry here in Florida. There will be challenges, there will be setbacks, but the potential is also so great. There is such a strong market potential here in Florida.”