🌿 Vitis labrusca

Vitis labrusca is a grape species from North America. It is also called the fox grape. It grows wild in the east of the continent and was brought into cultivation long ago: many American varieties come from it.

The berries are large, with a thin skin that slips easily from the flesh. They have a special smell and taste called "foxy": berry-like, strawberry-like, slightly musky. Wine from labrusca usually does not appeal to lovers of European classics, but the grape is used for juice, jelly and desserts. It is winter-hardy and resists disease.

Labrusca belongs to the grapevine family. It is important as a parent of hybrid grapes: it was crossed with the European species Vitis vinifera to get varieties resistant to disease and frost. One example of such a variety is Isabella.