American Varieties

Bluebell resembles Concord in size and color but matures earlier and is more cold hardy than Concord.

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 var...

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. Concor...

Developed as a table grape, Edelweiss has medium-sized berries on large loose clusters. Wine is usually finished sweet and has pineapple overtones; fruit should be harvested at 14°- 16° brix to avoid strong Labrusca ...

Elvira is vigorous and hardy, producing medium-sized white berries that ripen with Concord. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Absence of cultural problems makes this variety recommended for difficult growing are...

Fredonia is an early Concord-type, ripening about two weeks earlier. Valued for both table grape production and for wine.

An older Cornell release, Golden Muscat was first promoted as a table grape. It produces very large, well-filled clusters of large, oval, amber-colored berries. When fully ripe the flavor is rich, when not fully ripe, G...

In the early 1800s, Isabella was widely planted in the North Atlantic and New England States where Catawba could not reliably ripen, but it fell out of favor after Concord was introduced. Isabella can withstand tropical...

New York Muscat produces reddish-black fruit with fine muscat flavor. Used for sweet muscat wines and as a dosage in champagne, its largest drawback is lack of winter hardiness.

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...

Norton (also known as Cynthiana) is a V. labruscana x V. aestivalis hybrid with a long history in eastern US wine production, particularly in Missouri and Virginia. Norton produces small to medium clusters of firm, round...

Schuyler is extremely productive, with large clusters of soft, juicy black berries largely lacking Labrusca flavors. Used as a table grape and for the production of a neutral light red wine.

Steuben produces medium to large, compact clusters of medium-sized, spherical slipskin berries with a spicy tang. Steuben can produce an aromatic white, blush, or rosé wine.

Diamond is one of the few white American varieties that has been used to produce sweet, dry, and sparkling wines. Although largely replaced by Niagara for white grape juice production, Diamond is considered a superior wi...

Referred to as "the best American table grape" in The Grapes of New York (Hedrick, 1907), Delaware is an early-ripening red variety with small berries and clusters, and mild flavor. Of the labrusca types, it has the best...

Valiant is extremely winter hardy and produces small, compact clusters of small berries that ripen reliably. It is used for juice and jelly where other varieties are not hardy enough to be grown.

An older Cornell release, Golden Muscat was first promoted as a table grape. It produces very large, well-filled clusters of large, oval, amber-colored berries. When fully ripe the flavor is rich, when not fully ripe, G...