Divico, Agroscope's new disease-resistant grape variety, is valued for the quality of the wines made from it. Assemblage trials with the Pinot noir variety have shown that Divico is suitable for correcting color intensity.
With an area of almost 3900 ha in 2020, Pinot noir is the most commonly cultivated variety in Switzerland. It is widespread in all wine-growing regions north of the Alps. The good reputation is based on the fine and typical bouquet of its wines, which is characterized by fruity notes and a good structure as well as very delicate and velvety tannins. Visually, the color intensity is sometimes judged to be a bit weak. Dyer grapes such as Dakapo and Dunkelfelder are therefore cultivated in Switzerland, and their wines are used in low-percentage blends to improve the color of Pinot noir. With the first red grape variety developed by Agroscope and approved in 2013, which is resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew as well as gray mold, another variety is available that is suitable for this purpose.