Due to the extensive cold hardiness and fungal disease resistance of this species, it has been used extensively in grape breeding programs to transfer cold hardy and disease resistant genes to domesticated grapes. The French-American hybrid grapes are notable examples of these attempts. "V. riparia" has been used extensively for over a hundred years to create hardy hybrids. Many "V. riparia" hybrids are currently being used and investigated by plant breeders and in breeding programs such as those conducted by the University of Minnesota's horticulture program in an effort to make a commercially viable wine grape that can survive the northern climate of the Upper Midwest. Examples of commercially important cultivars with significant "V. Riparia" ancestry include Baco noir, Marechal Foch, Triomphe d'Alsace and Frontenac.