Grapes for Home Winemaking
Many a fan of wine dreams of one day owning a small plot of land, planting vines and making wine from their own grape harvest. The problem is that broad swathes of North America are wholly unsuitable for the European species of grape that dominates the wine varietals available on store shelves. If a prospective viticulturalist lives in Mississippi, for example, he will find growing cabernet franc extremely difficult or downright impossible. However, there are grapes that are native to North America that are easy to grow, if harder to make wine from. Does this Spark an idea?
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Grape Species
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Almost all grapes used in commercial wine making are from a species native to Europe and the Near East: vitis vinifera. Several varietals of grapes from this species are popular with home wine makers in North America. It is likely that every kind of wine, white or red, that even an avid wine lover knows of are all made from grapes that come solely from this species. However, there are two species of grapes native to North America that, while not widely used by commercial wine makers, are sometimes grown by the home wine maker. These are vitis labrusca and vitis mustangensis.
European Grapes
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European grapes used by most home wine makers are the same as those used by big commercial vineyards, and for much the same reason: the grape stock for these varietals is already available and well-adapted to certain areas of North America. As a general rule, viticulture with vitis vinifera is difficult or impossible in the Deep South due to its hot, humid climate, and in the more northerly parts of the Midwest and Plains states because of the extremely harsh winters. However, on the west coast, eastern seaboard (north of South Carolina) and the highland areas of the southwest, these grapes can and are being grown. They include all of the best-known varietals. Among reds, that means malbec, merlot, pinot noir, petit verdot, zinfandel, shiraz, grenache and both cabernet sauvignon and franc. For whites, that includes chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc and gewurtzraminer.
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Vitis Labrusca
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This is the species that produces Delaware and Concord grapes. It is not uncommon to see a small domestic vineyard and winery experimenting with these grapes to the extent of producing varietal labels, such as Concord wine. They do have the singular advantage of being able to grow everywhere east of the Mississippi. The problem is that they sometimes do not ripen sweet enough to be readily used for wine, meaning a home wine maker might need to add a lot of sugar to her fermentation vats. They also have a musky flavor (leading to their nickname as "fox grapes") that many do not like. Ironically, however, for a home wine maker looking to turn out kosher wine, they are perfect.
Vitis Mustangensis
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This species produces the mustang grapes that thrive in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana and are sometimes found in Arkansas and Alabama. Growing European grapes is hard or impossible in most parts of those states, but the mustang grape does well there, making it an option for these Southern home wine makers. The problem is that the mustang grape is even less suited for wine making than the Concord grape. It is so bitterly acidic that particularly sour examples can irritate the skin. Some home wine makers use the mustang grape anyway, but they definitely need to add plenty of sugar to make up for how singularly unfermentable these grapes are.
Concentrates
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Some home wine makers skip having a vineyard altogether and make their own wine using grape concentrates. Using concentrates offers a great advantage for viticulturalists in areas where the good European grapes are difficult to grow. The owner of a small vineyard in Alabama, for example, can use concentrate to blend into his Concord grape harvest. It also opens access to varietals that are not grown in the United States, such as touriga nacional. However, the problem here is that even concentrates meant for wine makers are highly variable in quality. Using concentrates can be helpful in creating drinkable table wine, but it is not the path to a fine wine.
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