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The Muscadine Grape - Georgia Grapes Graduate to More Varieties, Better Growth, Taste by Roy Wyatt The muscadine has been off to college, and new and more versatile varieties keep popping up. This tasty fall grape, produced commercially in greater quantity now, is being sold in limited quantity in area supermarkets. Paulk Vineyard in South Georgia has about 350 acres of muscadines planted, and several smaller growers south of Atlanta bring their produce to market. All of this exposure tends to whet our appetites for more of these native Southern grapes. Though some of us have clambered up oak trees for muscadines, or had muscadine arbors in our back yards, our non-native neighbors probably have never heard of a muscadine, much less eaten one. Some muscadines are sweet and some are tangy, with a flavor that many believe surpasses that of bunch grapes. The natural, older muscadines include scuppernong, a favorite, and probably the oldest variety. It has been domesticated since colonial times, and has become so well known in recent times that many people mistake any light-skinned or bronze variety for a scuppernong. The Thomas, a medium-size purple-red muscadine, was identified in South Carolina about 1850. Not grown much commercially, it is still a good home variety for eating, or for making jelly and wine. In Georgia, the muscadine got its "college breeding" at the Georgia Experiment Station near Griffin. Work there produced varieties Hunt and Stuckey, among others, in 1919. Yuga and Dulcet came along in 1934. In recent times, the B.O. Fry, working at the Georgia Experiment Station, developed Higgins, a large pinkish-bronze grape, released in 1955, and Cowart, purplish-black with a wine-like tang, released in 1968. After Ronald Lane succeeded Mr. Fry, the state in 1971 released Fry, a large, sweet bronze variety, and Jumbo, a large black grape with firm pulp. Pride debut in 1972 and Summit in 1977. The Georgia station released Triumph, a large self-fertile bronze in 1980; Golden Isles, a good-quality bronze, in 1981; and Loomis in 1988. Martha Owen, operator of Owen's Nursery in Gay, GA, likes the large size and burgundy color of Loomis. This female variety rates highly on taste panels, she says. Her customers also like Triumph, Summit and Cowart. Nesbit, a black self-fertile variety from North Carolina, is also popular. Bill Ison, owner of Ison's Nursery in Brooks, GA, is enthusiastic about numerous varieties including several bred or begun by Mr. Fry at Ison's after his retirement. On a recent visit to his vineyard, I was told that a taste panel rated Black Beauty as No. 1, Supreme No. 2 and Sugargate No. 3. But his top-selling vines are Fry, Black Fry and Ison. Despite a dry summer, Mr. Ison's vines were in good growth and the muscadines were of good sized and quality. Irrigation makes a big difference. A single wire 4½ feet above ground supports the vine, and a second wire a foot above ground holds the plastic drip-irrigation pipes. One nozzle or emitter is located near and above each trunk, which is also used for liquid fertilizer. Does heavy pruning of vines in summer affect production? Apparently so, for those vines are producing more than identical varieties left unpruned. Bare-root vines can be planted in fall or winter, vines from containers can be planted any time. Self-fertile varieties pollinate themselves and others. A female variety needs a self-fertile variety within 50 feet. Plant in as much sun as possible, spacing vines 20 feet apart. Use treated posts and No. 9 galvanized wire to erect a one-wire trellis. Use 8-foot posts, set 3½ feet in the ground. Brace the end posts to carry the load and stretch the wire 4½ feet above ground. During the first two years, several applications of a complete fertilizer alternated with ammonium nitrate should be applied lightly until Aug. 1. By the third year, fruit production is desired, and a complete fertilizer is applied in March. A second application is given in May only if growth is poor, since over-fertilization can cause dropping of fruit. This article originally appeared in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution September 30, 1990 in Roy Wyatt's column.
How to Make Muscadine Wine by Martha Tate The Vohmans use the following method to make muscadine wine. They never measure, but you can adapt the recipe to any amount of fruit you have. Black grapes make the best wine.
The Vohmans estimate that it takes 10 gallons of grapes to make 5 gallons of wine. They are likely to bottle 100 gallons this year, half the legal limit for non-commercial growers. More about Muscadines
In Georgia, there are two very different grape industries, according to Gerard Krewer of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. From Atlanta south, muscadines are the basis of one industry. In North Georgia, French hybrid and European species grapes are grown to produce varietal wines such as Seyval and Sauvignon Blanc. Because of their susceptibility to cold, muscadines are not reliably hard in North Georgia. Below Atlanta, European varietal grapes fall victim to Pierce's disease, a fungus that does not bother the muscadine.
Recipe for Muscadine Butter developed by Irene Prewitt
Muscadine Vine Sources Two of the largest U.S. growers of muscadines are in Georgia.
Edited for space and revised to reflect new telephone area codes, this article originally appeared in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution Home and Garden section Friday October 2, 1992. For North Georgia and the uplands of the Middle South, Bunch Grapes for the Backyard is a guide to grapes that will do better in areas too cool for muscadines.
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