If you grew up outside of the South, you may never have heard of muscadines or scuppernongs. The muscadine species of grapes, which includes a variety of cultivars (like scuppernongs), is only native to the Southeast. Here, hot temperatures and ample rain allow it to flourish both in the wild and in cultivated vineyards. Muscadine’s range extends from Delaware to central Florida, but you’ll find most commercial vineyards south of Kentucky.
What sets these grapes apart from others? Most of the wines we drink today, like Cabernet, Chardonnay, etc. come from grapevines of the species Vitis vinifera, which is native to the Mediterranean region. Other species of grape, Vitis labrusca, is typically crossed with vinifera varieties to produce table grapes. Vitis rotunifolia, or Muscadine, was discovered growing rampantly in America by Spanish and French explorers when they settled here. This highly adaptable thick-skinned grape thrives in hot, humid climates, and is highly pest and disease resistant. Vines were everywhere! The new settlers began cultivating it for wine production as early as the mid 1500s in Florida.
Because the muscadine grapes tasted very different from the grapes the Europeans were used to, they added large amounts of sugar to the wine to make it more palatable. This carried on through the years as tradition and contributed to the reputation muscadine wine has for being overly sweet. However, that assessment is unfair. Muscadine wines now come in white, red and rose, and range from dry to very sweet. The wines are medium to full bodied and are best served chilled. There are even muscadine dessert wines similar to Port.
In the 1800s and early 1900s until Prohibition, the wine industry in the South was based mostly on muscadines and scuppernongs. Just before Prohibition, the most popular wine in America was a scuppernong-based wine known as “Virginia Dare” and its vintner, Paul Garrett, was widely heralded as “the dean of American Wine Growers.” Today, approximately 81% of the wine in the US is produced in California, followed by New York, Washington, and Oregon.
The muscadine hasn’t completely lost its popularity by any means, however. The resilience and adaptability of the species lends itself to crossbreeding and it has proven to be very important in viticulture. Because muscadines contain one of the highest levels of total antioxidants, polyphenols, and ellagic acid of any fruit tested, they are also harvested for their health benefits and made into dietary supplements from juices and oils to powders and capsules. The benefits of muscadines extend into cardiovascular, metabolic, immune, and even anti-aging health. The University of Georgia is home to the oldest muscadine breeding program in the nation. Thanks to programs like theirs and the one at the University of Florida, there are currently more than 300 different strains of muscadine that have been either cultivated or bred for commercial use. These strains vary in sugar content, acidity, tannin and polyphenol level, skin color, and flavor. Besides the Scuppernong, other popular strains are Carlos, Noble, and Black Beauty. Whether they are used to make jellies, preserves, juices, or wine, the heritage of muscadines remains as strong as its roots and the vines that continue to twine themselves through Georgia and beyond.
