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- A Varietal (or at least an obscure blend) a Day...
Let's get some education going here. Has anyone else come across a new varietal or wine name they have never heard of before today?
Mavrud: Mavrud is a unique red wine common only to the region of Thrace in Bulgaria. It is found around few cities in the central part of the country where the winter temperatures are not very low. The wines made from this variety are with dark ruby color and a very pleasant aroma where one can touch some blackberry. (source is a user who let me know we had been spelling this grape incorrectly)
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3027 - Reply by Philip, Aug 18, 2008.
Scuppernong! I'll do some digging to see what its flavor profile is, but its famous in snooth, because it sounds funny, and one of our development servers was named after it!
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3027 - Reply by Philip, Aug 18, 2008.
"A scuppernong is a large type of muscadine, a type of grape native to the southeastern United States. It usually has a greenish or bronze color, and is similar in appearance and texture to a white grape, but rounder and about 50% larger.
The name comes from the Scuppernong River in North Carolina, where it was found and first cultivated during the 17th century; it is mentioned in the North Carolina official state toast. [1] The name itself traces back to the Algonquian word ascopo meaning "sweet bay tree".
The fruit consists of four parts: the outer skin or hull; the pulp, or 'meat'; seeds; and juice.
Several small green seeds are found in each grape. The skin is very thick and tart. The pulp is viscous and sweet. The seeds, which are bitter, can be swallowed with the pulp or extracted and spit out. The most desired part of the scuppernong is the sweet juice that lies underneath its skin.
Scuppernongs figure prominently in the story "The Goophered Grapevine" (1887) by Charles W. Chesnutt, and are also mentioned in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The scuppernong also figures prominently in William Faulkner's novel Absalom, Absalom! as the plant under which Colonel Thomas Sutpen and Washington Jones sit down to drink.
The oldest cultivated grapevine in the world is the 400 year old scuppernong "Mother Vine" growing on Roanoke Island, North Carolina.[2] The scuppernong is the state fruit of North Carolina.
The winter will be short, the summer long,
The autumn amber-hued, sunny and hot,
Tasting of cider and of scuppernong;
Elinor Wylie, from Wild Peaches, Nets to Catch the Wind (1921)
In addition, according to herbal lore, eating this whole grape also has health benefits. The hull adds a significant amount of fiber to the diet. When chewed, the seeds provide a grape-seed extract which, it is claimed, can aid in improving memory and other functions.
Wines, jellies and jams can also be made from scuppernongs. It is thought they were the first native North American grape to be cultivated for these purposes."
From Wikipedia
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286 - Reply by adamlevin, Aug 19, 2008.
Isabella - a Vitis Labrusca grape variety. One of its aliases is Borgoña. There has to be some marketing potential there to sell people Isabella wine when they think they're getting "Bourgogne."
Read more on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_(grape)
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13 - Reply by CSO, Aug 19, 2008.
Bianca A new Italian hi -bred now being grown in just a few places in the USA. Michigan for one.
This makes a wonderfully fruity dry white wine, With big flavors of pear and Mellon with a hint of citrus.
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113 - Reply by RachelNYC, Aug 20, 2008.
I noticed something on a label the other day called "Clone X". It sounded scary so I stayed away from it. I haven't looked really hard but I am having issues finding information on this varietal.
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286 - Reply by adamlevin, Aug 20, 2008.
Maybe they put the "X" on the label when they were writing the copy and forgot to replace it with the actual clone name?
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286 - Reply by adamlevin, Aug 20, 2008.
Nosiola - A little-known indigenous white grape from Trentino. These old vines are nestled amongst the grand Dolomite Mountains. The terrain is rigorous, challenging the vines at all levels. Bitter almond scented. Keeps growing at elevations where Pinot Grigio gives up in the Alto-Adige. Also called Durello, Nosella, Nosilla, Nosiola Gentile, Nosiola Trentina, Nosiola Spinarola, Nusiola, Rabiosa
http://www.snooth.com/wines/nosiola/
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76 - Reply by andrew, Aug 20, 2008.
Catarratto - "Sicily’s most planted grape variety comprising 60% of the island’s vineyards. Although most of it ends up as the base for Marsala and Vermouth, there are some intriguing wines made from Catarratto. With low yields, the grape’s plush, spicy character (somewhat like France’s Viognier) adds body, attractive aromas and good acidity to blends." (from http://www.winemessenger.com )
Since it's in Vermouth, I've had it (never really though about what grapes go into Vermouth) I'm surprised it makes up such a huge percentage of Sicily's grapes though
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3027 - Reply by Philip, Aug 21, 2008.
Ravat 51! Also known as Vignols, but Ravat 51 is the cooler name of the two...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vignoles_(grape)
I've actually tried it, its fairly common in the Finger Lakes region of NY
Wikipedia entry:
"Vignoles (aka Ravat 51) is a complex hybrid wine grape variety produced from a cross made by J.F. Ravat of two grapes, Seibel 8665 and Pinot de corton.
In New York state's Finger Lakes region, and along the Missouri River near Augusta, Missouri, it makes a wine with a sweet and flowery bouquet with a clean crisp sweet pineapple flavor balanced with agreeable acidity."
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286 - Reply by adamlevin, Aug 21, 2008.
Symphony - a cross between Grenache Gris and Muscat of Alexandria (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/12/WIN9RDO31.DTL) Bred by Dr. Harold Olmo of UC Davis, launched commercially in 1981 and patented in 1983.
The grape makes a white wine with a slight spiciness and pleasant fruit aromas, sometimes including citrus or apricot and peach. It is most often used for blending, due to its ability to bring out aroma and flavors in other wines. It has been made on its own in limited quantities and is planted in limited amounts. Producers of Symphony wines include Ironstone, Chateau De Baun, Sebastiani and Oak Crest Winery in Virginia. (wikipedia)
http://www.snooth.com/wine/volcano-winery-symphony-dry-nv/ <-- check out the appellation











