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257 These grapes are all natural hybrids among American species and, frequently, vinifera. All were tried in Europe post-phylloxera. Most didn’t succeed, but some were (and remain) widely successful. Delaware Dark pink grape, fruity white wine; natural hybrid of vinifera, labrusca , and aestivalis, much appreciated for use in American sparkling wines; failed in Europe. Catawba Dark pink grape, fruity pink wine; genetic background is controversial , but labrusca dominates; failed in Europe and parts of the United States; today widely grown in Missouri and Arkansas. Clinton Black grape, strong grapey flavors; hybrid of labrusca × riparia; once widely planted in Europe, now limited to small plantings in France and several small areas in Italy and Eastern Europe. Concord The most widely recognized (some would say notorious) American grape, it has a flavor that defines grape in North America; typically used to make a sweet red wine; hybrid of labrusca × vinifera; widely planted in North America, it also exists in scattered locations in South America Isabella Dark grape that produces a highly flavored wine strongly recalling strawberries; this hybrid of labrusca × vinifera is planted throughout the world, especially in tropical regions of South America (Brazil) and Asia (India ); wines with Isabella’s special flavor are undergoing a renaissance in Austria and Italy. Jacquez, Herbemont, and Cunningham Black grapes producing a dark red wine of good, ordinary table wine quality, with no off flavors; genetic background of these grapes is extremely controversial, although aestivalis dominates ; still planted in France and Eastern Europe and along the Gulf Coast and Texas, where they resist Pierce’s disease. appendix c Old American Varieties 258 | Appendix C Noah Strongly flavored greenish-white grape that makes a very grapey white wine and a faintly strawberryish eau-de-vie; once very widely planted in France and Central Europe; after being outlawed in France plantings decreased significantly, but it is still alive and well, especially in the Vendée, where it is widely used to produce a clandestine eau-de-vie. Norton/Cynthiana Another genetic mystery, although aestivalis clearly dominates; highest-quality native American, prized in France, especially the Midi, for its wine, but ultimately a failure because of its lack of adaptability to French terroir and poor propagation; increasingly popular from Missouri to Virginia for its sturdy performance in the vineyard and excellence in the bottle. Solonis An American grape mysteriously found under this name in the Berlin Botanical Garden and brought back to France to be experimented with as a rootstock type; Munson and other American ampelographers argued that it represented a good species, and it is now universally accepted as V. acerifolia ( = V. longii). Taylor Greenish-yellow grape producing a grapey-flavored wine; hybrid of labrusca × riparia; not widely planted except as rootstock in France; most famous as parent of Noah. ...

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