# Vitis labrusca
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{{Short description|Species of grapevine}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{For|the other species also called fox grape|Vitis vulpina}}
{{speciesbox
|name = Fox grape
|image = Vitis labrusca 154618896.jpg
|image_caption =
|status = G5
|status_system = TNC
|genus = Vitis
|species = labrusca
|authority = [L.](/source/Carl_Linnaeus)
}}
'''''Vitis labrusca''''', the '''fox grape''', is a [species](/source/species) of [grapevines](/source/grapevines) belonging to the ''[Vitis](/source/Vitis)'' [genus](/source/genus) in the [flowering plant](/source/flowering_plant) family [Vitaceae](/source/Vitaceae). The vines are native to eastern [North America](/source/North_America) and are the source of many grape [cultivar](/source/cultivar)s, including [Catawba](/source/Catawba_(grape)), [Concord](/source/Concord_grape), [Delaware](/source/Delaware_(grape)), [Isabella](/source/Isabella_(grape)), [Niagara](/source/Niagara_(grape)), and many [hybrid grape](/source/hybrid_grape) varieties such as [Agawam](/source/Agawam_(grape)), [Alexander](/source/Alexander_(grape)) and [Onaka](/source/Onaka_(grape)). Among the characteristics of this vine species in contrast to the European wine grape ''[Vitis vinifera](/source/Vitis_vinifera)'' are its "slip-skin" that allows the skin of the grape [berries](/source/berries) to easily slip off when squeezed, instead of crushing the [pulp](/source/Juice_vesicles), and the presence of [tendril](/source/tendril)s on every node of the cane. ''Vitis labrusca'' also tends to have strong resistance to mildews and [phylloxera](/source/phylloxera). Another contrast with European ''V. vinifera'' are unique flavors, best known to most people through the Concord grape.[{{cite book|author1=[Robinson, Jancis](/source/Jancis_Robinson) |title=The Oxford Companion to Wine|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc |publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=Third |date=2006|ISBN=978-0-19-860990-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00janc/page/18/mode/2up 19-20]}}] The term "foxy" became a sort of catchall for the [wine tasting descriptors](/source/wine_tasting_descriptors) used for these American wines that were distinct from the familiar flavors of the European viniferous wines.[{{cite book|author1=Ramey, B| title=The Great Wine Grapes| chapter=Concord, Catawaba and Delaware entries |publisher=University of California-Davis |date=1977| ASIN=B0006CZP4S}}] These flavors have been described as strawberry, raspberry, cotton candy, and "grapey" (because Americans associate these flavors with popular grape juices, candies, jellies and jams, sodas, and more made with Concord grapes). Occasionally, depending on the winemaking, ''V. labrusca'' grapes can impart a musky flavor to wine, which some find intriguing while others dislike, but this can be mitigated or increased by winegrowing and winemaking practices. ''Vitis labrusca'' is in the parentage of the world's most planted grape variety, [Kyoho](/source/Kyoho_(grape)).
==History==
thumb|Concord grapes
According to wine historian [Edward Hyams](/source/Edward_Hyams) and wine expert [Jancis Robinson](/source/Jancis_Robinson), ''Vitis labrusca'' was probably the species seen by [Leif Ericsson](/source/Leif_Ericsson) growing wild along the coast of [Vinland](/source/Vinland) in the 11th century. There is ample evidence that the ''labrusca'' was growing wild in North America before Europeans arrived. The vine was not officially identified and recorded until [Carl Linnaeus](/source/Carl_Linnaeus) and his peers started cataloging American vine species in the mid-18th century. In the 19th century, ''Vitis labrusca'' was among the American vines transported to [Europe](/source/Europe) that were carrying the [phylloxera](/source/phylloxera) louse that caused [widespread devastation](/source/Phylloxera_epidemic) to the European vineyards planted with ''Vitis vinifera''.[{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/vinesgrapeswines00robi|author1=Robinson, Jancis |title=Vines, Grapes & Wines|publisher=Mitchell Beazley |date=1986 |ISBN=1-85732-999-6| pages=[https://archive.org/details/vinesgrapeswines00robi/page/8/mode/2up 8], [https://archive.org/details/vinesgrapeswines00robi/page/18/mode/2up 18], [https://archive.org/details/vinesgrapeswines00robi/page/228/mode/2up 228]}}]
Also in the 19th century, [Ephraim Bull](/source/Ephraim_Bull) of [Concord, Massachusetts](/source/Concord%2C_Massachusetts), cultivated seeds from wild ''labrusca'' vines to create the [Concord grape](/source/Concord_grape), which would become an important agricultural crop in the United States.[{{cite web|title=Vitis labrusca L. fox grape|url=http://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=VILA8|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=11 October 2014}}]
==Wine regions==
right|thumb|Botanical features of ''Vitis labrusca''
''Vitis labrusca'' is located along the eastern seaboard of [North America](/source/North_America) from [Nova Scotia](/source/Nova_Scotia) down to [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(US_wine)) and westward to the [Mississippi River](/source/Mississippi_River). Among [American Viticultural Areas](/source/American_Viticultural_Areas) (AVA)s that produce wine from ''labrusca'' or hybrids derived from ''labrusca'' include [Alexandria Lakes](/source/Alexandria_Lakes_AVA), [Upper Mississippi Valley](/source/Upper_Mississippi_Valley_(AVA)), [Mississippi Delta](/source/Mississippi_Delta_(AVA)), [Ohio River Valley](/source/Ohio_River_Valley_(AVA)), [Southeastern New England](/source/Southeastern_New_England_(AVA)), [Lake Erie](/source/Lake_Erie_(AVA)) as well as several AVAs in the states of [New York](/source/New_York_(wine)), [Virginia](/source/Virginia_(wine)), [Ohio](/source/Ohio_(wine)), [Michigan](/source/Michigan_(wine)) and [Minnesota](/source/Minnesota_wine).[{{cite book |author1=Winkler, Albert J.|author2=Cook, James A.|author3=Kliewer, William Mark |author4=Lider. Lloyd A.|url=https://archive.org/details/generalviticultu0000wink/mode/2up |title=General Viticulture |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley|isbn=978-0520025912 |edition=2nd |date=1974 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/generalviticultu0000wink/page/17/mode/2up 17–20], [https://archive.org/details/generalviticultu0000wink/page/59/mode/2up 59], [https://archive.org/details/generalviticultu0000wink/page/166/mode/2up 166-167] |ref=refWinkler1974}}]
In the Canadian Province of Ontario, the use of ''Vitis labrusca'' varieties is not permitted by the [VQA](/source/Vintners_Quality_Alliance) regulatory and [appellation](/source/appellation) system, except for [Vidal](/source/Vidal_(grape)), a hybrid grape varietal.[{{cite web |author1=Cluer, James MW |title=The Fine Vintage Canadian Wine Scholar Study Guide |url=https://www.finevintageltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Fine-Vintage-Canadian-Wine-Scholar-Study-Guide.pdf |website=Fine Vintage International |date=2019-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251004033903/https://www.finevintageltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Fine-Vintage-Canadian-Wine-Scholar-Study-Guide.pdf|archive-date=2025-10-04 |url-status=live}}]
Unlike ''vinifera'', hybrids and ''Vitis labrusca'' varieties can better withstand the severe [continental conditions](/source/continental_climate_(wine)) of eastern North America with severely cold winters and hot, humid summers. (However, ''labrusca'' doesn't do quite as well as varieties like ''[Vitis rotundifolia](/source/Vitis_rotundifolia)'' in the humidity of southeastern US). In fact, in areas of the United States where ''vinifera'' does flourish in the west, the conditions during the [growing season](/source/growing_season_(wine)) are often too arid for ''labrusca'' vines.