Niagara is an attractive, productive and vigorous variety with large, slipskin berries, juicy with a strong foxy flavor. Niagara is the leading green grape grown in the United States, used as a table grape and for juices and sweet wines. Although it has a following, Niagara is not known as a high-quality wine grape as it tends to have an abundance of “foxy” flavors and aromas, especially when ripe; harvest at 14° brix or earlier for wine production.
Widely grown in Ohio and Central NY as early as the mid 19th century and widely used for sparkling wine, Catawba was the most popular grape cultivated in the US prior to the introduction of Concord, and was the major variety used for wine production in Ohio prior to Prohibition. Catawba is a spicy-flavored, red slip skin grape. Clusters are medium to large and well formed; fruit is medium-sized, round and purplish red with a distinctive flavor.
Concordgrape - purple is a hybrid of Vitis labrusca and Vitis vinifera zone 4-8
Concord is the most famous American grape, described by Horace Greeley as “the grape for the millions” with vigorous, hardy and productive vines that produce medium-sized clusters bearing large blue-black berries. Concord grapes are tough skinned, flavorful and highly aromatic - an all-purpose grape used to make grape jelly, juice, and grape flavored soft drinks. Concord is used for kosher wines and as a varietal or blender for sweet wines.
I’m considering what juice grapes could be better? Bulk orders $2.50 each Vine over 50.
I planted Concord Seedless (I’ve seen some people say it’s a sport and others say it’s unrelated to the original, I don’t know which is true) and Somerset Seedless two or three years ago. Both end up ridiculously seedy when grown here in SE PA. And I don’t mean there’s some firm aborted seed bits that form, I mean multiple, woody-exterior (endocarp?), proper seeds. That grow new plants when the birds deposit hundreds of them.
I’ve eaten a bunch of both fresh and made pies with them. My mother hates what I assume is the American “foxy” flavor and doesn’t like the Concord Seedless. Her grandmother had some unknown grape that she tried as a kid and says she despised.
Never tried Catawba, that I know of, I always see it at the big box stores though. I’ve had fresh Concord grapes and juice (Welch’s) of both Concord and Niagara. I kind of would like to try growing Everest. It sounds like a pretty good “modern” palette friendly Concord-like. It’s supposed to be larger, non-slipskin, and actually minimally seedy while tasting very similar to Concord.
I planted a bunch of the University of Arkansas planet/virtue series grapes that are supposed to actually turn out minimally seedy last year. All but one survived the Winter fine (Southern Sensation) and that one is coming back from the base, and I believe it’s on its own roots. I should check. Some clusters forming on them this year, too. And I ordered three of the UGA Muscadine releases because I liked the ones I’ve gotten from the store and people here not that far south of me have grown them. The one muscadine plant has a whole bunch of clusters forming that I’m probably going to have to remove and feel sad about.
I enjoy the American grapes I’ve had (outside of Smucker’s jelly, because the stuff sucks and was forced on me as a kid).
My relatives ( aunts, uncles, grandparents) all seemed to have grown the Concord grapes at their homes. We always seemed to have plenty of those to eat when we would visit them. I can still remember the wonderful taste of the Concord grapes.
I grew them in RI, to make Concord grape and pies. I had to. Fight my raccoons for them! A flavor from childhood. They don’t grow them in France. Of all the grapes that are here I thought a wild fox grape would find its way here…a favorite!
