🍇 Vitis labrusca
A wild North American grape species with a "foxy" taste, the source of Isabella and Concord.
Vitis labrusca is a wild grape species from North America, ancestor of varieties such as Isabella and Concord. Vitis labrusca is a wild grape species from North America. It grows in the east of the continent. The berries are dark, with thick skin that slips easily from the pulp. The taste is distinctive, sweet and musky, and is often called foxy. The cause is thought to be a compound, methyl anthranilate, which gives this smell.
Many well-known American varieties came from labrusca and its hybrids: Concord, Catawba, Isabella, Clinton, Ironclad and others. Concord is widely used for grape juice, jelly and sweet wines. Isabella is popular in several countries of Europe and the Caucasus. Labrusca is resistant to cold and disease, which is why breeding is built on it.
Vitis labrusca differs from the European species Vitis vinifera. In the European Union quality wines are meant to be made from the European species, so wine from labrusca and its hybrids is limited by rules. Labrusca stands in the pedigree of many hybrids: Alpha, Centennial, Hartford, Dracut Amber, Marion, Emily and others. It is worth remembering that the taste of such wine is unusual and not to everyone's liking.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Vitis labrusca → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Offspring
- 🍇 Concord, 🍇 Clinton, 🍇 Winchell, 🍇 Ironclad, 🍇 Marion, 🍇 Emily, 🍇 Dracut Amber, 🍇 Hartford, 🍇 Isabella, 🍇 Catawba, 🍇 Alpha, 🍇 Centennial
Frequently asked questions
What is Vitis labrusca?
A wild North American grape species with a foxy taste.
Which varieties come from it?
Concord, Catawba, Isabella, Clinton and others.
Why is the taste called foxy?
Because of methyl anthranilate, a compound giving a distinctive musky smell.
What to read next
- 🍇 Alpha — An American hybrid with black berries; very cold-hardy, grown in gardens and as a rootstock.
- 🍇 Hartford — An old American grape with a "foxy" taste, a descendant of Isabella.
- 🍇 Marion — A dark American hybrid of riparia and labrusca.
- 🍇 Winchell — An early white American grape.
- 🍇 Emily — An American hybrid with pink berries.
Similar
🍇 Vitis riparia · 🍇 Eumelan · 🍇 Janesville · 🍇 Early Ohio · 🍇 Empire State · 🍇 Woodruff