Concord grape

The Concord grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis labrusca (also known as fox grape) that are used mainly as wine grapes and for manufacturing grape juice.^[2] The grape is named after the town in Massachusetts where it was developed. In the early 20th century, it was a common variety introduced to the western United States.

Concord grape
Grape (Vitis)
Concord grapes on the vine
Color of berry skin	Noir
Species	Vitis labrusca hybrid[1]
Origin	United States
Notable regions	United States
VIVC number	2801

In the 21st century, the state of Washington produces more Concord grapes than any other state, and is the location of major grape juice production, particularly by Welch's in Grandview.^[2]

Description

The skin of a Concord grape is typically dark blue or purple and often is covered with a glaucous epicuticular wax "bloom" that can be rubbed off. It is a slip-skin variety, meaning the skin is easily separated from the fruit. Concord grapes have large seeds and are highly aromatic. It is sometimes described as having a "foxy" flavor, referring to a sweet, musky accent.^[3]

The Concord grape is particularly prone to the physiological disorder black spot.^[4]

Production and distribution

In the United States, 417,800 tons were produced in 2011.^[5]

The major growing areas are the Finger Lakes District of New York, Lake Erie Pennsylvania/NY, Lake Ontario, Southwestern Michigan, and the Yakima Valley in Washington.^[2][6] They are sometimes found growing wild.

Concord was the most widely grown variety on the American continent and accounted for at least 75 percent of the vines in the eastern United States in 1923.^[7] Concord grapes were first cultivated in the Yakima Valley in 1904.^[2]

Usage

Concord grapes are the main grape to manufacture grape juice, with Welch's as the largest juice producer.^[2] They may be used to make grape grape jelly, grape juice, grape pies, grape-flavored soft drinks, and candy. They are the usual grapes used in the jelly for the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and Concord grape jelly is a staple product in U.S. supermarkets. Their distinctive purple color has led to grape-flavored soft drinks and candy being artificially colored purple.^{[citation needed]}

The dark-colored Concord juice is used in some churches as a non-alcoholic alternative to wine in the service of communion.^[8] They are only occasionally available as table grapes,^[9] especially in New England. The grape is sometimes used to make wine, particularly kosher^[10] and sacramental wine. The oldest sacramental winery in America, O-Neh-Da Vineyard, still produces a Concord wine for the altar.^[11] Traditionally, most commercially produced Concord wines have been finished sweet, but dry versions are possible if adequate fruit ripeness is achieved.

History

Ephraim Bull (1806–95), of Concord, Massachusetts, and the original Concord grape vine which he propagated and named in 1849

The Concord grape was developed in 1849 by Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, Massachusetts.^{[12][needs update]} Bull planted seeds from wild Vitis labrusca and evaluated over 22,000 seedlings before finding what he considered the ideal Concord grape.^[12] Genetic testing confirmed that Concord grape has roughly one-third Vitis vinifera parentage.^[13] The selected Concord vine was planted next to other cultivars, including Catawba, which was later confirmed to be a parent of Concord using systematic SSR analysis.^[1]

In 1853, Bull's grape won first place at the Boston Horticultural Society Exhibition.^[12] It was then introduced to the market in 1854. Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch developed the first Concord grape juice in his house in 1869.^[12] Through the process of pasteurization, the juice did not ferment.^[12] Welch transferred the juice operations to Westfield, New York, processing 300 tons of grapes into juice in 1897.^[12] By the 21st century, Welch's grape juice was manufactured in a large juicing factory located in Grandview, Washington.^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Ripe grapes (foreground) and unripe grapes (background). Unripe grapes can be made into verjuice.
• 
  Concord grapes growing on Grape Island, Massachusetts.
• 
  Photographic plate of Concord grape from the book The Grapes of New York, 1908 by Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick

See also

• Muscadine
• Scuppernong