 The use of French hybrid varieties allowed for a more neutral flavour profile for wine production while still providing tolerances to climatic, soil, and disease conditions that made the use of traditional Vitis vinifera varieties impossible in North American viticulture at that time.It was Adhemar de Chaunac, along with John Paroshy who first tested the use of Vidal blanc for the production of icewine.Vidal is now the most common ice wine grape in Ontario, producing icewines which are a successful export product and routinely win international competitions.