Pinotage

Wine Grapes

Catawba

Catawba grapes were introduced to wine-growers in the 1850s by Major John Adlum of Georgetown, D.C.. Grown predominantly on the East Coast of the United States, this purplish-red grape has a rather sweet flavor. It is typically in season from September to November and can be used in wines, juice, jams and jellies.

Although usually classified as Vitis labrusca, Catawba is widely believed to have at least some Vitis vinifera in its background. The grape can have a prounced musky or "foxy" flavor, which some afficionados take as a clear sign of its inferiority to vitis vinifera, though others find it distinctive and pleasant.

The grapes are particularly sensitive to ozone pollution.

Concord Grapes

Concord grapes are a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis labrusca (a.k.a. fox grape) which are used both as table grapes and wine grapes.

The skin of a Concord grape is typically dark blue or purple, and often is covered with a lighter colored "bloom" which can be rubbed off. It is a slip-skin variety, meaning that the skin is easily separated from the fruit. Concord grapes have large seeds and are highly aromatic. They are often used to make grape jelly, grape juice, grape-flavored soft drinks, and candy. The grape is sometimes used to make wine, particularly kosher wine, though it is not generally favored for that purpose due to the strong "foxy" (sometimes described as candied-strawberry/musky) flavor.

Traditionally, most commercially produced Concord wines have been finished sweet, but dry versions are possible if adequate fruit ripeness is achieved.

Concord grapes may have health benefits, such as reducing hypertension and the negative effects of second-hand smoking, but the results of studies on these benefits are as yet inconclusive.

Niagara grape

Niagara grapes are a variety of the North American grape species Vitis labrusca and are used as table grapes and for wines, as well as jams and juice. Niagara is the leading green grape grown in the United States. The Niagara grape was created in Niagara County, NY in 1868 when C.L. Hoag and B.W. Clark cross-bred Concord grapes with white Cassady grapes. It was first sold commercially in 1882.

Niagara grapes are considered to be poor shipping grapes, and so are usually only found near where they are grown. They are most commonly found in the United States in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington, and Ohio, and are also grown in Canada, Brazil, and New Zealand. While only rarely available fresh outside of these areas, Niagara grapes are well known to most American consumers as the source of most white grape juice.

The fresh grape is large and juicy, round to oval-shaped, pale greenish-white in color and has a sweet, very pleasant aroma. It also has a sweet and generally pleasant flavor, sometime being described as "foxy".

One reviewer attempted to characterize the "foxy" description. In analyzing the Niagara grape, he detected aromas like candied lemon rind, a Riesling-like diesel aroma, flowery jasmine-like notes, and what he called "a high-toned, candied muskiness." This latter descriptor he felt was the primary element of the term "foxy". His opinion of wines made with the grape is that they have unique and interesting properties that are not well-known due to Niagara's reputation as a less-than-optimum wine grape.

A diesel aroma in wine, surprisingly, is considered to be a positive attribute, but it can be excessive in wines made with the Niagara grape. One opinion is that Niagara grape skins should not contact the must for too long a time after pressing to avoid an excess of this characteristic.

Vitis labrusca

Vitis labrusca (Fox grape) is a species of grape native to the eastern United States. It is the source of many grape cultivars, including Concord grapes. It is characteristic of this vine to have tendrils form on every node of the cane (alternated with clusters). This is in contrast to the European wine grape Vitis vinifera. The characteristic "foxy" musk of V. labrusca is best known to most people through the Concord grape.